HOME  (^ROUNDS 


Lovi  Iv.  Fuller. 


1032L 


Class.    7/Q       Book. 

EVI  K.  FULLER, 


BRATTLEBORO,  VT. 

Besides  the  main  topic,  this  booh  also  treats  of 
Subject  Ho.  On  page  Subject  No.  On  page 


crohs. 


HOME    GROUNDS 


BY 

ALEXANDER  F.    OAKEY, 

AUTHOR  OF  "BUILDING  A  HOME." 


NEW  YORK: 
D.  APPLETON  AND  COMPANY, 

1,  3,  AND  5  BOND  STEEET. 
1881. 


OOPTKIGHT   BY 

D.   APPLETON   AND    COMPANY, 

1881. 


CONTENTS. 


PAOB 

I. — GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS  .            .  .5 

II. — WALKS  AND  DRIVES.            ....  22 

III. — LAWNS  AND  GRASS-PLOTS          .            .            .  .37 

IV.— PLANTING       .            .            -            .            .            .  46 

V.— TREES,  ETC.          .            .            .            .            .  .54 

VI. — FENCES  AND  GATES  .....  80 

VII. — SUMMER-HOUSES,    SHELTERS,    ETC.                .                .  .95 

VIII. — CHICKENS  AND  CHICKEN-HOUSES      .            .            .  102 

IX. — REVIEW  AND  CONCLUSION          .            .            .  .109 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS. 

"  Strength  may  wield  the  ponderous  spade, 
May  turn  the  clod,  and  wheel  the  compost  home; 
But  elegance,  chief  grace,  the  garden  shows, 
And  most  attractive  is  the  fair  result 
Of  thought,  the  creature  of  a  polished  mind." — COWPER. 


THE  average 
human  being 
first  devotes  his 
energies  to  ac- 
quiringhisthree 
daily  meals, 
what  he  consid- 
ers necessary 
raiment,  and 
what  he  consid- 
ers a  fair  lodg- 
ing ;  but,  when 
born  to  these 
necessities  or 


Q  HOME  GROUNDS. 

when  supplied  with  the  means  of  providing  them,  he  de- 
votes his  leisure  to  seeking  what  he  considers  enjoy- 
ment. It  is  in  this  search  that  his  temper,  his  taste,  and 
his  aspirations  show  themselves,  and  by  nothing  more 
than  by  what  he  has  done  or  left  undone  in  improving 
and  beautifying  his  immediate  surroundings.  Who  can 
not  fairly  judge  of  the  sanitary,  intellectual,  and  moral 
status  of  a  community  or  of  a  private  dwelling  by  its 
outward  conditions  ?  The  straggling  squalor  of  the  out- 
skirts of  cities  is  much  more  than  sensually  shocking 
in  its  analogy  to  the  souls  who  are  content  with  such 
surroundings.  In  short,  where  no  prospect  pleases,  it 
is  hardly  to  be  wondered  at  if  man  is  vile.  It  is  fu- 
tile to  preach  against  alcohol  to  a  man  who  finds  in  it 
a  relief  from  the  hideousness  of  his  daily  life.  Our 
parks  have  already  afforded  a  respite  from  the  exigencies 
that  largely  support  the  rum-shops  ;  but,  until  landscape 
gardening  in  its  broadest  sense  is  recognized  as  a  constant 
necessity,  we  shall  hardly  do  more  than  better  the  physi- 
cal condition  of  a  few  people  here  and  there  in  our  large 
towns.  In  proof  of  this  assertion — the  constant  efforts 
of  philanthropists  in  sending  poor  children  away  from 
the  cities  with  satisfactory  results — without  sentimental- 
ity, it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  in  a  tour  of  our  tene- 
ment-house districts,  we  shall  find  the  happiest  and  most 
respectable  families  to  be  those  who  have  a  well-cared- 
for  box  of  plants  in  their  window.  In  short,  he  who  has 
no  love  of  nature  lacks  at  least  one  quality  of  a  man. 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.    7 

From  all  this  it  would  seem  that  the  duty  of  beauti- 
fying one's  home  is  not  altogether  a  selfish  matter.  Even 
a  tastefully  ordered  backyard  in  a  city  will  in  time  in- 
fluence the  standard  of  cleanliness  and  sightliness  of  the 
neighboring  inclosures,  rivalry  among  housewives,  if  no 
higher  sentiment,  often  transforming  in  a  few  years  a 
row  of  dreary  garbage  pens  into  trimly  kept  grass  plots, 
where  nothing  more  unsightly  is  ever  permitted  to  ap- 
pear than  the  fluttering  forms  of  suspended  underwear 
drying  in  the  sun. 

One  of  the  advantages  of  a  suburban  home,  with  an 
acre  or  more  of  ground  surrounding  the  house,  is  that 
even  this  washing-day  spectacle  can  be  concealed  from 
the  inmates  of  the  house  and  from  the  neighbors. 

The  first  province  of  landscape  gardening  is  to  abate 
nuisances  of  every  kind  and  degree.  With  this  object,  to 
take  all  possible  sanitary  precautions  in  drainage,  in  na- 
ture of  soil,  and  in  character  and  extent  of  vegetation, 
natural  advantages  should  be  made  available,  and  inju- 
rious changes,  that  often  in  time  alter  the  conditions  that 
constitute  desirable  or  undesirable  sites  on  land  that  is 
uncared  for,  should  be  considered.  Of  course,  the  most 
thorough  and  scientific  precautions  may  be  nullified  by  the 
carelessness  of  near  neighbors,  especially  if  their  grounds 
are  so  relatively  placed  as  to  drain  through.  For  the  nui- 
sance of  noxious  odors  arising  from  neighboring  pig-pens, 
oil  or  soap  factories,  there  is  no  cure  but  a  legal  process 
or  a  removal  to  windward ;  but  the  nuisance  of  unsightly 


g  HOME  GROUNDS. 

or  disgusting  objects  can  always  be  met  by  judicious 
planting,  and  thus  it  is  in  the  power  of  every  man,  whose 
house  docs  not  cover  his  whole  lot,  to  make  what  space 
is  left  more  or  less  delightful,  by  the  expenditure  of 
thought,  directed  by  special  knowledge,  good  taste,  and 
assisted  in  realization  by  more  or  less  money,  according 
to  the  natural  advantages  or  the  peculiar  disadvantages 
existing. 

Although  we  propose  in  the  following  pages  to  sug- 
gest what  special  knowledge  is  necessary,  and  how  it  can 
be  attained,  and  to  give  a  few  instructions  that  may  be" 
found  sufficient  for  the  successful  treatment  of  a  few 
acres,  we  shall  avoid  scientific  disquisition,  and  as  far  as 
possible  all  technicalities  which  would  properly  be  in- 
cluded in  any  complete  treatise  on  landscape  gardening. 

Our  object  is  to  discuss  what  can  and  ought  to  be 
done  to  make  our  external  home  surroundings  attractive, 
and  healthful,  and,  by  implication,  to  define  what  should 
not  be  attempted  within  narrow  boundaries.  We  have 
seen  more  than  one  city  yard  treated  as  a  miniature  park, 
with  lake  and  grove,  lawn  and  terrace,  and,  though  no 
pains  were  spared,  the  effect  was  only  that  of  elaborate 
toys,  of  one  of  which  the  owrner  said,  "  My  wife  calls  that 
place  her  landscape  garden,  but  I  call  it 'a  grave  for 


Any  garden  or  park  is  apt  to  be  a  mere  '•'  grave  for 
greenbacks"  if  the  natural  features  are  utterly  disre- 
garded in  the  scheme  of  improvement  adopted.  Lakes, 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.          9 


STREET 

FIG.  1. 


10  HOME  GROUNDS. 

waterfalls,  caverns,  and  dense  woodlands  can  be  manufac- 
tured at  great  expense,  but  the  investor  is  likely  to  die 
before  Nature  has  time  to  accomplish  the  desired  effect, 
if,  indeed,  she  ever  can  make  artifice  her  own.  In  contra- 
distinction to  this  manufacturing  of  freaks  of  Nature,  there 
is  the  professedly  artificial  garden,  with  its  terraces,  its 
symmetrically  disposed  flower-beds  in  the  shape  of  hearts, 
lyres,  and  what  not,  its  geometric  plan  of  walks,  and  its 
clipped  hedges  and  trees  in  formal  array.  Although  this 
treatment  is  not  attractive  to  a  lover  of  nature,  there  are 
undoubtedly  conditions  under  which  it  can  be  very  mag- 
nificent, especially  if  it  accompanies  a  stately  marble  villa 
of  ample  proportions.  However  we  may  prefer  natural 
beauties  in  our  home  surroundings,  we  can  not  be  insen- 
sible to  the  traditional  charm  that  pervades  the  surround- 
ings of  an  old  chateau.  The  peacock  that  still  sweeps  the 
moss-grown  pavement  of  the  terrace  with  his  gorgeous 
train  is  a  reminder  of  the  brocaded  and  powdered  duch- 
esses whose  brilliant  presence  once  enhanced  the  costly 
grandeur  of  the  effect.  The  traditional  charm  is  what  we 
can  not  manufacture  if  we  would,  and  it  seems  as  if  marble 
terraces  and  formal  avenues  adorned  with  statues,  at  least 
as  home  surroundings,  were  as  much  out  of  date  as  bag- 
wig  and  ruffles  and  class  privileges.  So  that  we  shall 
content  ourselves  with  this  allusion  to  artificial  gardening, 
assuming  that  a  discussion  of  the  useful  and  natural  art 
of  landscape  gardening  is  more  likely  to  interest  and 
benefit  our  readers. 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.   H 


12  HOME  Q ROUNDS. 

The  question  of  what  to  do  in  improving  and  beauti- 
fying home  grounds  is  always  primarily  a  question  of 
what  not  to  do.  "We  are  acquainted  with  one  gentleman 
who,  before  consulting  his  landscape  gardener,  and  in 
order  to  give  him  a  fair  chance  to  display  his  skill,  spent 
what  money  was  necessary  to  reduce  his  entire  garden  to 
a  dead  level,  obliterating  all  natural  formations  and 
clearing  away  all  existing  vegetation,  and  it  is  hardly 
necessary  to  say  that  his  grounds  have  never  outgrown 
the  effects  of  his  vandalism.  Of  course,  in  any  scheme 
of  gardening,  more  or  less  grading  has  to  be  done,  but  it 
is  an  object  to  do  as  little  as  possible.  The  grounds  should 
be  laid  out,  at  least  on  paper,  before  the  house  is  built, 
so  that  all  superfluous  earth  from  the  excavations  may  be 
dumped,  once  and  for  all,  where  it  is  to  remain.  In  cases 
where  the  house  is  an  already  established  fact,  we  must 
make  the  best  of  what  is  too  often  an  ill-considered  dis- 
position, and  try  to  counteract  the  mistake  by  ingenious 
contrivance. 

It  may  be  unqualifiedly  asserted  that  on  limited 
grounds,  such  as  are  usual  in  the  suburbs,  the  house 
should  never  occupy  a  central  position,  but  should  always 
be  nearer  one  end,  and  much  nearer  one  side  of  the  lot, 
thus  acting  as  a  screen  for  the  kitchen  yard,  kitchen 
garden,  and  such  necessary  but  uninteresting  provisions 
as  there  may  be,  when  viewed  from  the  grounds,  as 
shown  in  Fig.  1 ;  and  of  course  the  living-rooms  should 
command  a  view  of  the  grounds,  while  the  kitchen  offices 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.        13 


STREET 
FIG.  3. 


open  upon  the  more  limited  area.  This  disposition  can 
always  be  realized  in  grounds  of  whatever  general  form, 
whether  they  are  bounded  by  adjoining  property  and  one 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


street,  by  adjoining  property  and  two  streets,  three 
streets,  or  are  completely  isolated.  Figs.  1,  2,  3,  4,  and 
5  are  illustrations  of  existing  grounds  in  different  locali- 


FIG.  4. 


ties,  all  displaying  the  disposition  of  the  buildings  upon 
which  we  are  inclined  to  insist  as  the  first  element  of 
success  in  laying  out  small  home  grounds.  Fig.  5  is  also 
an  existing  garden  which,  though  commanding  only  one 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.   15 


IQ  HOME  GROUNDS. 

street,  adjoins  other  property  only  on  the  north,  and  is 
bounded  by  Long  Island  Sound  on  the  south  and  east. 
From  these  instances,  to  which  we  shall  refer  from  time 
to  time,  may  be  derived  all  necessary  illustrations  for  our 
discussion,  as  they  are  sufficiently  various,  in  general  plan 
and  in  detail,  to  cover  all  probable  requirements  of  small 
home  grounds. 

Natural  advantages  may  be  classed  under  three  heads : 
Geological  advantages,  those  that  consist  in  the  nature  of 
the  ground  itself;  topographical  advantages,  those  that 
consist  in  the  formation  of  the  ground  as  to  depressions 
and  elevations ;  and  botanical  advantages,  those  consist- 
ing in  the  nature  and  extent  of  existing  vegetation. 

The  best  ground  for  successful  gardening  is  that 
which  is  underlaid  with  gravel  beds,  because  the  gravel 
forms  a  natural  drain  for  the  top  soil ;  but,  where  no  such 
natural  drains  exist,  the  most  successful  gardening  can 
only  be  accomplished  after  a  thorough  system  of  subsoil 
drainage  has  been  laid.  This  is  accomplished  with 
ordinary  field  drain  tile,  laid  writh  the  necessary  fall  to 
carry  off  water — the  courses  of  tile  being  about  ten  to 
twenty  feet  apart,  and  not  less  than  four  feet  below  the 
surface.  In  small  grounds  the  operation  is  not  an  ex- 
pensive one,  but  it  must  be  performed  by  competent 
persons  to  be  effective.  There  are  many  causes  of 
stoppage  to  be  guarded  against,  such  as  streaks  of  quick- 
sand ;  and  where  these  occur  the  tile  must  be  packed 
with  straw  and  gravel.  These  drainage  precautions  are 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.   17 

especially  necessary  to  insure  the  health  of  fruit-trees  as 
well  as  all  half-hardy  trees  and  shrubs,  while  all  hardy 
vegetation  will  be  much  improved  by  it. 

The  line  can  not  always  be  distinctly  drawn  between 
geological  and  topographical  features,  especially  where 
the  wrhole  property  is  underlaid  with  rock  which  crops 
out  here  and  there  as 'features  of  the  surface.  Such  a  site 
renders  subsoil  drainage  more  than  ordinarily  necessary, 
because  the  ground  in  such  cases  is  only  the  accumula- 
tion of  centuries,  filling  a  valley  between  two  hills  or 
mountains  of  rock,  and  must  be  permeated  with  fissures, 
which,  if  the  ground  is  not  level,  will  prove  their  exist- 
ence by  springs  trickling  out  at  various  points  down  the 
slope. 

If  we  are  in  search  of  water  supply,  we  may  determine 


where  our  well  should  be  sunk  by  boring  down  at  several 
points  on  the  boundaries  of  the  property,  and  again  at  a 


13  HOME  GROUNDS. 

few  spots  within  the  inclosure,  noting  the  nature  and 
direction  of  the  strata  or  layers,  and,  if  we  can  discover 
that  there  is  a  depression  or  dip  from  two  or  more  direc- 
tions toward  a  common  center,  we  can  with  confidence 
sink  our  well  at  this  point,  which  can  readily  be  deter- 
mined by  measurement  when  the  inclination  of  the  strata 
or  layers  has  been  found,  as  indicated  in  Fig.  6.  The 
existence  of  a  brook  or  a  pond  on  a  small  property  is 
generally  undesirable,  especially  the  pond.  A  running 
brook  may,  on  the  other  hand,  be  made  very  serviceable, 
not  as  an  attractive  feature,  but  as  a  practical  advantage, 
in  additional  water  supply  at  least  for  washing  purposes, 
or  as  a  natural  drain :  in  fact,  both  purposes  may  be 
served  if  the  drain  enters  below  the  point  at  which  the 
water  is  drawn  ;  but,  in  any  case,  the  brook  should  be 
walled  up  on  each  side,  all  decaying  vegetation  removed 
from  the  bed,  and  coarse  gravel  substituted.  The  brook 
should  then  be  covered  with  a  brick  arch  or  with  flag- 
ging, and  with  two  or  three  feet  of  earth.  In  this  way 
no  annoyance  from  dampness  or  mosquitoes  will  be  felt, 
while  the  brook  will  still  perform  all  the  service  required 
of  it  better  than  if  subject  to  all  sorts  of  disturbance. 
Ponds  only  breed  fevers,  mosquitoes,  and  accidents  to 
children,  and  should,  if  stagnant,  be  drained  off  and 
filled  in.  If  not  stagnant,  they  should  be  made  by  filling 
and  walling  to  form  part  of  the  brook  as  already  de- 
scribed. 

In  small  grounds,  strongly  marked  topographical  fea- 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.   19 

tures  are  not  desirable,  but  a  rolling  surface  or  a  general 
slope  extending  over  the  whole  area  is  much  more 
advantageous  than  a  dead  level,  on  which  it  is  generally 
necessary  to  do  some  grading  to  vary  the  monotony. 
This  can  sometimes  be  best  accomplished  by  procuring  a 
few  large  bowlders,  if  the  neighborhood  affords  such,  and 
by  leaving  some  portions  of  them  exposed  in  banking 
the  earth  about  them,  and  grading  off  in  a  gradual  slope 
to  the  surrounding  level.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  sug- 
gest that  such  a  feature  should  not  occupy  a  central  posi- 
tion, but  should  rather  mark  the  termination  of  a  strip 
of  lawn  through  a  vista  of  trees  and  shrubbery. 

If  the  general  slope  of  the  property  is  very  steep,  as 
in  one  instance  we  know  of,  where  the  fall  is  twelve 
feet  in  forty  feet,  it  becomes  necessary  to  cut  off  the  top 
of  the  slope,  and  deposit  it  below  in  order  to  make  the 
grade  less  abrupt,  as  in  heavy  rains  the  surface  wash 
would  otherwise  make  havoc  with  any  improvements  we 
might  undertake.  We  are  fortunate  in  such  extreme 
cases  if  the  slope  is  from  the  rear  to  the  front  of  the  site, 
and  not  the  reverse,  as  in  the  instance  we  mention,  where 
the  public  road  now  occupies  a  level  four  feet  higher 
than  the  highest  point  in  the  garden,  and  the  necessary 
precautions  to  sustain  the  sidewalk  and  to  drain  the  road 
without  injuring  the  garden,  together  with  the  entrance 
steps,  have  been  a  very  costly  matter. 

Botanical  advantages  mainly  consist  in  the  existence 
of  shade-trees,  of  such  sort  and  in  such  stages  of  growth 


2Q  HOME  GROUNDS. 

and  in  such  relative  positions,  that  we  can  include  them 
in  our  schemes  of  improvement ;  nothing  that  the  land- 
scape gardener  can  do,  with  any  amount  of  money  at 
command,  will  compensate  for  a  few  broad-spreading, 
healthy  trees  rising  out  of  a  rich  turf.  We  can  supply  a 
variety  of  ornamental  shrubbery,  vines,  and  flowers,  and 
can  dispose  them  tastefully  over  our  lawns,  and  can 
accomplish  any  effect  within  the  scope  of  these  accesso- 
ries at  short  notice;  but  time  only  can  accomplish  the 
beauties  that  are  imparted  by  shade-trees,  which  require 
little  assistance  from  the  landscape  gardener  to  make  a 
garden  beautiful. 

There  are  some  sorts  of  trees  that  should  be  cut  down, 
however  luxuriant  and  venerable,  if  we  wish  to  succeed 
with  our  lawn  and  with  all  other  planting.  These  are 
the  black-walnut  and  the  butternut,  both  of  which  de- 
stroy, more  or  less,  all  proximate  vegetation. 

Again,  there  are  trees  that  have  a  disagreeable  odor, 
such  as  the  ailantus,  and  this  also  sends  up  shoots  at 
great  distances,  so  that  one  is  by  no  means  certain  that  it 
is  gone  when  cut  down,  or  even  uprooted.  In  all  proba- 
bility we  shall  from  time  to  time  recognize  an  offspring 
trying  to  assert  itself  elsewhere  on  the  place,  and  it  grows 
so  rapidly  that  these  must  be  immediately  dug  out,  in 
all  directions,  with  their  shoots,  or  we  shall  have  the  work 
to  do  over  again. 

Many  others  less  objectionable,  and  many  beautiful 
trees,  such  as  the  silver  birch,  have  this  faculty  of  ac- 


GENERAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  GROUNDS.   21 

quiring  a  family  circle,  and  are  often  valuable  in  forming 
a  thicket  to  plant  out  an  undesirable  view,  or  produce 
a  dense  effect  of  planting.  We  shall  return  presently 
to  the  discussion  of  trees  and  planting  when  we  have 
prepared  our  walks,  lawns. .  and  driveways,  and  disposed 
of  the  practical  considerations  involved. 


n. 
WALKS  AND  DKIVES. 

"  He  gains  all  points  who  pleasingly  confounds 
Surprises,  varies,  and  conceals  the  bounds. 
Calls  in  the  country,  catches  opening  glades, 
Joins  willing  woods,  and  varies  shades  from  shades; 
Now  breaks,  or  now  directs,  the  intending  lines ; 
Paints  as  you  plant,  and,  as  you  work,  designs." 

THE  driveway  does  not  usually  play  an  important 
part  in  grounds  of  small  extent,  and  even  when  horses  are 
kept,  unless  the  house  is  at  least  fifty  feet  from  the 
street,  a  driveway  is  unnecessary,  and  occupies  too  much 
valuable  space,  besides  requiring  constant  care  to  keep  it 
in  proper  condition.  Of  course,  in  grounds  of  even  two 
acres  a  driveway  becomes  a  necessity,  and  can  be  made  a 
very  graceful  feature,  affording  an  agreeable  contrast  to 
the  lawns  in  its  windings  among  the  shrubbery.  If  we 
have  a  driveway,  however  small  the  grounds,  let  it  be  suf- 
ficiently wide  to  be  really  serviceable  and  look  hospitable. 
Few  things  give  a  meaner  expression  to  a  place  than 
narrow  drives  and  walks.  A  drive  should  never  be  less 
than  twelve  feet  wide,  and  a  walk  should  at  least  be  six 


WALKS  AND  DRIVES.  23 

feet  wide,  though  more  than  nine  feet  is  generally  wider 
than  is  needed  for  private  grounds.  We  all  know  that 
in  dry  weather  it  is  pleasanter  to  walk  upon  the  turf 
than  upon  any  path  ;  but  some  paths  must  be  provided 
to  prevent  tracks  being  worn  in  the  turf  on  the  lines  of 
the  most  constant  communication,  besides  the  necessity 
of  having  a  dry  footing  when  the  dew  or  recent  rains 
have  made  the  grass  wet.  We  would  not  by  any  means 
advocate  cutting  up  a  small  place  with  walks  into  grass 
plots  and  flower  beds  in  order  to  provide  a  sufficiently 
long  "  constitutional "  in  wet  weather ;  on  the  contrary,  we 
believe  that  the  less  space  we  devote  to  walks  and  drives, 
the  more  effective  our  garden  will  be,  and  the  less  trouble 
and  time  will  be  required  to  keep  it  in  order.  Drive- 
ways and  paths,  being  primarily  roads  to  and  from  the 
house,  must  necessarily  terminate  at  one  or  more  of  the 
entrances  provided,  unless  they  are  planned  merely  to 
touch  at  the  entrances  at  some  point  of  their  curve,  so  as 
to  lead  away  from  the  house  in  opposite  directions  ;  and 
this  arrangement  is  the  most  obviously  convenient  for 
driveways,  in  order  to  admit  of  a  carriage  being  driven 
round,  instead  of  turning  in  a  limited  space.  Practical 
considerations  should,  of  course,  govern  the  planning  of 
paths  and  driveways  as  absolutely  as  they  should  the  plan- 
ning of  a  house ;  but  there  are  so  many  ways  of  doing  any- 
thing and  everything  with  the  same  general  results,  that 
we  may  point  out  a  few  faults  to  be  avoided,  and  a  few 
virtues  to  be  assumed,  in  this  apparently  simple  undertak- 


24  HOME  GROUNDS. 

ing,  tlie  mention  of  which  may  assist  the  unqualified 
experimenter. 

Although  our  roads  must  all,  sooner  or  later,  in  their 
meanderings  lead  to  the  house,  fhe  less  gravel  surface 
there  is  immediately  about  the  house,  the  better.  A 
driveway  or  a  path  that  leads  up  to,  and  again  away  from, 
the  house  on  a  curve  should  be  planned  on  as  sharp  a 
curve  as  is  practicable  and  effective,  because  the  gravel 
surface  reflects  the  light  and  heat,  making  the  house  on 
that  side  less  comfortable  in  summer,  not  to  mention  the 
dust  that  must  rise  from  the  best-made  gravel  road  in  dry 
weather.  A  house  set  on  the  greensward  is  a  much 
more  attractive  and  picturesque  object  than  one,  equally 
elegant  in  proportion  and  detail,  set  on  a  desert  of  gravel. 
It  is  a  common  disposition  to  have  a  path  leading  round 
close  to  the  house,  from  the  front  door  to  the  back,  leav- 
ing only  a  mere  strip  of  turf  next  the  building,  and  this 
much  encumbered  with  flower  beds.  We  have  never 
been  able  to  comprehend  the  advantages  of  this  treat- 
ment, though  we  have  often  guessed  the  reasons  that 
have  prompted  its  adoption.  Where  there  is  only  one 
gateway  to  a  place,  and  that  directly  opposite  the  main- 
entrance  door,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  shortest  road  from 
the  gate  to  the  back  door  will  soon  become  marked  if  no 
path  is  provided ;  but  in  such  cases  the  difficulty  lies  at  the 
gate,  which  without  appreciable  inconvenience  could  be 
opened  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  farther  on  in  one  or  other 
direction,  so  that  we  could  lay  out  our  paths  to  the  main 


WALKS  AND  DRIVES. 


25 


T  KI^  ts.-r 

FIG.  7. 


26  HOME  GARDENS. 

entrance  and  to  the  back  entrance  in  two  graceful  curves 
coinciding  at,  and  growing  from,  the  gateway,  and  leav- 
ing the  turf  directly  about  the  house  undisturbed.  The 
usual  method  and  that  we  propose  as  a  substitute  are  sug- 
gested in  Fig.  7. 

The  position  of  the  house  in  the  first  place,  and  of  the 
entrance  gate  or  gates  in  the  second,  and  the  relative 
positions  of  both,  are  the  controlling  principles  in  the  plan 
of  any  garden.  If  these  are  not  carefully  studied  and 
happily  arranged,  our  garden  is  a  failure  from  the  start ; 
while,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  achieve 
effective  results  on  a  well-digested  plan.  This  plan  in  a 
small  place  where  the  house  already  exists  may  consist  of 
merely  two  or  three  lines  where  our  paths  are  to  be  made, 
but  it  must  be  remembered  that  these  lines  divide  our 
place  into  three  or  more  parts,  and  that- we  shall  find  the 
form  of  these  parts,  whether  good  or  bad,  governing  every- 
thing we  may  attempt  in  planting.  The  object  of  a  path 
in  a  pleasure  ground  is  not  only  to  get  from  one  point  to 
another  dry  shod,  but  to  do  so  agreeably ;  and  for  this 
reason,  although  a  straight  line  is  the  shortest  distance 
between  two  points,  we  avoid  setting  out  our  places  like 
a  checker-board,  and  add  something  to  the  length  of  our 
paths,  in  order  to  give  them  a  less  business-like,  direct 
expression,  and  consequently  a  more  graceful  one.  For 
all  this,  very  little,  if  anything,  is  gained  by  arbitrarily 
changing  the  general  direction  of  a  path  or  road.  If  the 
fundamental  idea  of  its  being  is  to  get  to  a  certain  place,  it 


WALKS  AND  DRIVES.  27 

will  be  found  most  effective  to  lay  it  out  with  that  place 
in  view  with  an  easy  sweep,  the  curve  being  sufficient  to 
prevent  the  whole  distance  from  being  seen  at  a  glance. 
To  a  certain  degree,  deception  as  to  the  extent  of  grounds 
is  not  only  legitimate  but  often  necessary ;  the  degree  is 
determined  by  the  point  at  which  the  deception  is  obvious. 
We  want  to  realize  in  our  garden  as  many  and  as  charm- 
ing natural  effects  as  we  can,  and  with  this  object  we  are 
certainly  committing  no  fraud  if  we  conceal  our  back 
fence,  or  if  we  curve  our  paths  here  and  there  sufficiently 
to  leave  the  question  of  the  length  of  their  wanderings 
among  the  shrubbery  undetermined. 

Paths  are  often  a  great  resource  in  solving  difficult 
problems  of  general  effect.  In  small  gardens  it  is  usually 
necessary  to  avoid  all  expensive  preparation,  and  to 
achieve  creditable  results  with  as  little  disturbance  as 
possible  ;  if  there  exist  any  very  marked  irregularities  on 
the  surface,  we  would  generally  prefer  to  modify  them 
by  grading,  which  is  an  expensive  matter,  as  we  may  do 
a  great  deal  of  digging  and  carrying  without  making 
much  impression  on  the  existing  levels,  so  that  we  are 
often  glad  to  separate  the  strong  contrast  of  a  sudden 
change  of  level  by  skirting  it  with  a  path  which  enables 
us  to  have  our  lawn  on  one  side  trimly  kept  and  level, 
while  on  the  other  a  steep  bank,  covered  with  a  thicket  of 
shrubbery,  becomes  very  effective  without  being  in  direct 
opposition  to  our  velvet  lawn.  Another  advantage  in 
this  arrangement  is  the  apparently  greater  height  of  the 


23  HOME  GROUNDS. 

trees  we  may  plant  on  the  higher  ground,  as  their 
stems  are  concealed  by  the  shrubbery  on  the  bank. 

The  necessary  differences  between  the  treatment  of 
large  grounds  or  private  parks  and  small  grounds  or 
gardens  do  not  seem  to  be  fully  appreciated.  There  are 
many  effects  and  practical  advantages  peculiar  to  each 
scale  of  operations,  and  while,  as  we  have  already  said, 
it  is  not  only  legitimate,  but  desirable,  to  adopt  such  a, 
plan  and  details  for  a  small  garden  as  shall,  at  all  events, 
prevent  a  correct  estimate  of  its  extent  being  readily 
made,  any  attempt  to  give  it  the  air  of  an  extended  park 
must  always  end  in  a  miniature  treatment,  which  will  be 
at  once  accepted  as  a  confession  of  lack  of  space.  A 
number  of  paths  leading  in  all  directions  leave  so  little 
lawn  in  small  grounds,  that  after  looking  in  vain  for  some 
expanse  of  turf  we  realize  that  the  paths  really  lead  no- 
where, and  that  they  have  merely  been  laid  out  to  de- 
ceive us,  while  they  so  confuse  and  parcel  out  the  place 
in  small  grass  plots  that  little  space  is  left  to  compensate 
for  our  disappointment. 

The  first  expression  to  aim  at  in  landscape  gardening 
is  simplicity.  Grounds  should  look  as  much  as  possible  as 
if  no  great  study  had  been  spent  upon  them,  as  if  they 
could  not  well  be  otherwise  than  as  they  are,  and  this 
effect  can  only  be  realized  by  great  study ;  that  is,  after 
the  ground  has  been  expertly  examined  almost  foot  by 
foot,  and  an  intelligent  scheme  conceived  in  all  its  ramifi- 
cations, before  anything  is  done. 


WALKS  AND  DRIVES.  20 

The  course  of  a  path  may  be  determined  by  so  many 
considerations  that  we  should  be  certain  none  have  been 
overlooked  before  committing  ourselves  to  any  apparently 
advantageous  plan.  The  path  from  the  entrance  gate  to 
the  house  should  never  connect  with  another  path,  so  as 
to  leave  a  stranger  in  doubt  which  route  to  follow  when 
entering  or  leaving  the  premises.  When  it  is  necessary 
for  some  reason  to  connect  another  path  with  that  lead- 
ing from  the  gate  to  the  house,  any  ambiguity  of  purpose 
can  generally  be  avoided  by  making  the  connection  at 
right  angles,  as  by  this  arrangement  it  is  evident  that  the 
destinations  of  the  two  paths  are  separate  and  that  the 
main  objects,  the  house  and  the  gate,  can  not  in  common- 
sense  be  connected  by  a  path  that  turns  a  square  corner, 
instead  of  that  which  continues  its  easy  curve.  How- 
ever, there  is  another  means  of  avoiding  connections  that 
are  misleading :  by  making  the  less  important  path  much 
the  narrower  of  the  two,  though  we  would  advise  the 
employment  of  both  expedients,  especially  if  the  sub- 
ordinate path  leads  to  some  necessary  but  unattractive 
spot,  such  as  the  back  door,  the  kitchen  garden,  or  the 
wood-shed.  Of  course,  in  such  a  case  as  that  illustrated 
in  Fig.  7,  where  the  grounds  are  so  small  that  the  visitor 
can  not  go  astray,  these  precautions  are  unnecessary, 
though  even  in  this  instance  we  would,  as  indicated,  make 
the  path  to  the  back  entrance  narrower,  and  so  plant  our 
shrubbery  as  to  conceal  its  destination.  Much  more 
might  be  said  about  the  general  planning  and  relative 


30  HOME  GROUNDS. 

treatment  of  paths,  but  we  have,  perhaps,  occupied  the 
reader  long  enough  in  this  discussion  without  describing 
the  methods  of  making  and  maintaining  good  roads  and 


A  good  driveway  or  path  is  one  that  is  so  made  as 
to  always  retain  its  slightly  convex  form,  and  to  be  dry 
at  all  times,  even  immediately  after  a  heavy  rain — so 
made  that,  even  where  steep  grades  exist,  the  heaviest 
rain  can  not  wash  away  or  furrow  the  surface,  leaving  a 
miniature  torrent  bed  to  be  filled  and  civilized.  The 
drive  or  path  must  be  first  excavated  in  its  whole  width, 
nowhere  less  than  one  foot  deep,  and  in  the  center  not 
less  than  two  feet  deep,  forming  a  trench  with  shelv- 
ing sides.  This  trench  must  be  graded  in  depth  for 
the  whole  length,  so  as  to  become  a  channel  in  which 
water  will  run  off.  In  paths  of  any  length  on  a  level,  it 
is  usually  best  to  grade  in  two  directions  from  a  central 
point,  while  on  a  slope  the  trench  can  be  of  the  same 
depth  throughout.  This  trench  should  be  filled  with 
stone  to  within  six  inches  of  the  finished  surface,  as  in- 
dicated in  the  annexed  cut,  Fig.  8,  the  large  stones  being 
selected  and  placed  at  the  bottom,  so  as  to  form  an  un- 
obstructed drain,  and  the  stones  should  decrease  in  size 
upward  until  the  interstices  are  filled  with  large  pebbles 
screened  from  coarse  gravel ;  the  whole  surface  should 
have  a  slightly  convex  form,  as  shown  in  Fig.  8,  and  the 
work  is  complete  when  three  or  four  inches  of  clean 
gravel  have  been  well  packed  by  heavy  rolling,  and  an 


WALES  AND  DRIVES.  31 

inch  or  two  of  finer  screened  gravel  have  been  added  in 
the  same  way.     It  is  of  the  first  importance  that  the 


gravel  used  should  be  clean,  that  is,  free  from  loam  which 
will  cake  when  wet  and  form  mud,  while  no  water  can 
possibly  remain  on  the  surface  of  a  drive  or  path  con- 
structed as  we  have  described. 

The  most  convenient  way  of  determining  the  convex- 
ity of  the  surface  and  of  maintaining  uniformity  through- 
out, is  to  have  a  "  gauge,"  made  of  a  plank  exactly  the 
length  of  'the  width  of  the  path  ;  one  edge  of  this  plank 
is  cut  to  the  desired  curve,  which,  when  applied  at  any 
point,  will  show  deviations.  The  simplest  method  of 
laying  out  paths  on  the  ground  is  to  set  out  a  row  of 
stakes  or  pegs  on  the  center  line  in  the  whole  length  and 
at  sufficiently  short  distances,  say  five  feet,  apart  to  en- 
able the  curves  of  the  path  to  be  seen  at  a  glance.  The 
positions  of  the  pegs  can  be  altered  until  a  satisfactory 
sweep  or  any  desired  tortuous  line  is  attained,  when  the 
edge  of  the  path  on  each  side  can  be  established  by  sim- 
ilar rows  of  pegs,  whose  exact  position  can  be  determined 
by  the  ends  of  a  stick  or  pole  of  the  requisite  length,  the 
the  length  being  the  width  of  the  path.  A  notch  or 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


mark  of  some  kind  is  made  in  the  center  of  the  stick, 
which,  when  applied  to  the  central  row  of  pegs  at  right 
angles  with  the  direction  of  the  path  must  describe  at  its 
ends  the  same  curve  as  the  center  line.  Fig.  9  indicates 


I 


FIG.  9. 

this  process,  which,  in  grounds  of  small  extent,  is  a  sim- 
ple and  rapid  one.  Where  much  woodland  or  objects  of 
any  kind  obstruct  the  view  so  that  we  can  not  see  the 
curve  for  more  than  a  short  distance,  it  is  necessary  by 
measurement  and  calculation  to  establish  the  center  line 
as  we  have  drawn  it  on  paper ;  but  the  general  reader 
would  probably  pass  over  geometric  formulae,  so  that  we 
shall  content  ourselves  with  a  simple  explanation  of  how 
to  lay  out  a  circular  curve  when,  for  any  reason,  we  can 
not  drive  a  stake  in  the  ground,  attach  one  end  of  a 
rope,  and  run  round  with  the  other.  If  the  relative  posi- 


WALKS   AND  DRIVES. 


33 


tions  and  distances  of  the  points  at  which  our  circular 
curve  begins  and  ends  can  be  set  down  upon  paper  to 
some  appreciable  scale,  as  shown  in  Fig.  10  at  A  and  B, 
we  can  easily  determine  what  portion  of  the  circumfer- 


/OO.FT 


£? 


FIG.  10. 


ence  of  a  circle  our  curve  shall  be  in  order  to  die  into  the 
straight  lines  at  these  points,  and  also  to  circumvent  the 
trees  or  other  objects  whose  existence  makes  the  change 


34  HOME  GROUNDS. 

of  direction  necessary.  Fig.  10  represents  the  plan  of  a 
road  around  woodland  or  rocks  where  it  is  necessary  to 
change  the  direction  from  A  to  B  at  right  angles,  without 
disturbing  the  objects  that  intercept  the  view,  and  in 
order  to  achieve  a  proper  curve  both  A  and  B  are  contin- 
ued till  they  meet  at  C,  that  is,  their  central  rows  of  pegs 
are  continued  to  this  point.  The  distances  from  C  to  6 
and  C  to  7  are  then  measured  off  toward  A  and  B,  and 
are  always,  whatever  the  actual  distance,  in  the  propor- 
tion of  O29  :  1.  For  instance,  suppose  the  distance  from 
A  to  C  to  be  one  hundred  feet,  then  the  distance  from  C 
to  6  or  to  7  will  be  twenty-nine  feet ;  from  these  points, 
6  and  7,  parallel  to  AC  and  AB,  the  same  distance  is  set 
off,  and  establishes  the  point  3  in  the  center  of  the  curve. 
In  the  same  way  the  points  1,  2,  4,  and  5  are  determined, 
and  as  many  intermediate  ones  as  are  desired.  When  a 
double  curve  or  S  is  necessary,  the  same  process  is  re- 
peated in  the  opposite  direction,  only  that  the  point  3 
must  be  determined  as  the  center  of  the  S,  as  indicated 
in  Fig.  11. 

The  importance  of  true  curves  in  laying  out  roads  or 
paths  is  not  a  mere  question  of  effect,  but  one  of  practical 
convenience,  because  in  driving,  walking,  or  riding  we 
shall  find  that  in  changing  the  direction  of  our  route  we 
necessarily  describe  a  curve,  and  not  an  abrupt  one.  In 
fact,  at  any  considerable  speed,  it  is  difficult  to  describe 
any  but  a  generous  circular  curve  of,  say,  fifty  to  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  radius,  and  anything  less  than  fifty 


WALKS  AND  DRIVES. 


35 


feet  may  be  considered  as  too  abrupt  for  a  driveway, 
though,  of  course,  in  paths  there  are  many  considerations 
making  almost  any  form  desirable  under  peculiar  circum- 
stances. 

In  making  paths  on  a  rapid  slope  or  hillside,  it  will 
generally  be  found  cheaper  and  more  picturesque  to  in- 
troduce three  or  more  broad  stone  steps  at  intervals,  rather 


FIG.  11. 

than  to  attempt  an  even  grade  throughout,  and  much 
more  convenient  than  to  follow  the  variations  of  the  sur- 
face. By  introducing  the  steps,  the  walk  in  the  intervals 
can  be  kept  almost  level,  while  the  differences  of  level 
between  the  several  parts  and  the  adjoining  ground  afford 
many  valuable  opportunities  for  effective  planting,  and 


36  HOME  GROUNDS. 

the  whole  walk,  viewed  from  either  end  or  from  other 
parts  of  the  grounds,  becomes  an  object  of  much  greater 
interest  than  a  mere  strip  of  gravel,  however  graceful  in 
plan,  could  possibly  be.  This  arrangement  is  a  step  in 
the  direction  of  the  formal  chateau  garden,  with  its  ter- 
races and  staircases,  but,  if  only  employed  in  situations 
that  make  it  practicably  desirable,  it  has  none-  of  the  arti- 
ficial ostentation  of  the  elaborate  parterre. 


ra. 
LAWNS  AND  GKASS  PLOTS. 

IN  the  foregoing  we  have  so  constantly  alluded  to  the 
importance  of  well-kept  turf  as  an  element  of  successful 
landscape  gardening,  and  have  incidentally  discussed  so 
many  effects  more  or  less  dependent  upon  the  form  and 
extent  of  lawns  and  grass  plots,  that  little  more  than  in- 
structions for  preparing  and  maintaining  good  turf  under 
various  conditions  remains  to  be  stated. 

The  paradoxical  adage  that  the  shortest  road  is  the 
longest  way  round  finds  corroboration  in  the  various 
methods  of  making  lawns,  of  which  the  most  generally 
practiced  is  that  of  cutting  slabs  of  the  best  turf  the 
neighboring  waysides  afford,  preparing  the  ground,  pack- 
ing them  down  and  watering  them  from  time  to  time 
until  the  transplantation  has  taken  root.  This  method 
is  no  doubt  an  expeditious  one,  but  has  few  other  ad- 
vantages. We  know  of  but  one  satisfactory  way  to 
produce  a  healthy  and  hardy  turf,  and  but  one  of  main- 
taining it.  The  process  is  comparatively  a  long  one, 
though  not  more  expensive  than  the  almost  universal 
method  described  above.  There  are  few  soils  in  which  a 


38  HOME  GROUNDS. 

good  turf  can  not  be  made  to  grow  in  time  if  the  neces- 
sary care  is  bestowed,  and  a  soil  in  which  we  can  not 
grow  turf  without  enrichments  will  certainly  fail  to  sup- 
port transplanted  turf.  Whatever  the  nature  of  the  soil, 
it  should  first  be  plowed  and  stones  removed,  then  har- 
rowed and  sown  with  "  red  top."  This  should  be  done 
as  early  in  the  year  as  the  season  permits,  and  the  crop 
should  be  allowed  to  grow  till  the  seed  is  nearly  ripe, 
when  the  whole,  as  it  stands,  should  be  plowed  into  the 
land,  the  harrowing  repeated,  and  the  best  grass  seed 
thickly  sown,  mixed  with  small  white  clover  seed.  This 
crop  again  should  be  allowed  to  run  almost  to  seed  before 
it  is  cut.  The  cutting  should  be  done  while  the  dew  is 
still  on  the  grass,  and  the  crop  should  lie  where  it  falls, 
to  be  withered  by  the  sun.  This  cutting  or  mowing  may 
then  be  repeated  at  intervals  of  ten  days  or  a  fortnight, 
but  no  Taking  should  ever  be  done.  The  hay  performs 
the  most  valuable  services.  The  turf  grows  through  it 
so  that  in  one  season  a  complete  net-work  of  hay  covers 
the  ground  beneath  the  fresh  young  grass  and  protects 
the  roots  from  the  sun.  The  advantages  are  obvious ; 
the  turf  is  denser  and  much  less  sensitive  to  drought, 
as  the  hay  holds  a  good  deal  of  moisture  after  every 
rain,  which  rots  it  into  manure ;  this,  together  with  our 
protecting  net-work  of  hay,  is  constantly  replaced  by  the 
periodical  mowing.  After  two  years  of  the  above  pro- 
cesses, we  can  do  nothing  better  for  our  lawns  than  to 
suspend  the  mowing  for  a  season  and  substitute  the  nib- 


LAWNS  AND   GRASS  PLOTS.  39 

bling  of  a  sufficient  number  of  Southdown  sheep  to  in- 
sure impartial  grazing  over  the  whole  area.  The  constant 
pattering  of  so  many  harmless  feet  will  do  more  satisfac- 
tory work  than  any  amount  of  rolling,  while  the  drop- 
pings become  a  thoroughly  distributed  manure.  Thus  it 
will  be  seen  that  under  ordinary  conditions  a  perfect  and 
permanent  lawn  can  be  made  in  three  years,  after  which 
time  the  usual  mowing  at  intervals  of  two  to  three 
weeks,  according  to  the  weather,  must  be  kept  up  and 
performed  in  the  manner  at  first  described,  viz.,  before 
the  dew  is  dried  and  without  removing  the  cut  grass. 
The  sheep  dose  may  be  advantageously  repeated  at  in- 
tervals of  two  or  three  years,  or  for  a  short  time  during 
every  season.  There  are  some  sources  of  annoyance  in 
new  lawns  that  can  only  be  cured  by  constant  and  watch- 
ful care  during  the  second,  third,  and  fourth  years.  "We 
refer  to  the  appearance  and  spread  of  dandelion  and 
plantain,  both  of  which  are  familiar  to  every  one,  and 
are  not  without  special  medicinal  value,  though  they  mar 
the  beauty  of  a  lawn.  Whenever  one  of  these  weeds 
shows  itself,  it  should  be  cut  out  with  a  knife  to  the  depth 
of  three  or  four  inches,  and  a  piece  of  rock-salt  inserted, 
which  will  prevent  the  reappearance  for  a  considerable 
area  about  that  spot.  For  a  time  yellow  patches  will  ap- 
pear when  the  salt  has  been  used,  but  these  will  soon  pass 
away,  and,  if  the  obnoxious  weeds  are  diligently  hunted 
down  in  this  way,  their  race,  as  far  as  our  lawns  are  con- 
cerned, can  be  exterminated  for  ever  after  two  or  three 


40  HOME  GROUNDS. 

campaigns.  This  weed  difficulty  is  one  of  the  objections 
to  transplanted  turf,  which,  however  prepossessing  in  ap- 
pearance, may,  like  adopted  children,  develop  the  most 
trying  and  distressing  tendencies  for  all  the  care  and 
education  spent  upon  them.  While,  if  we  can  not  sit 
in  the  shade  on  our  lawn,  as  we  have  described  it,  after 
training  it  up  in  the  way  it  should  grow,  we  shall  at 
least  have  more  pleasure  for  our  pains  than  we  could 
realize  in  any  other  part  of  our  improvements  with  the 
same  outlay,  to  say  nothing  of  the  fact  that  all  other  im- 
provements would  tell  for  nothing  without  our  velvet 
turf. 

A  lawn  is  capable  of  EO  many  effects  that  it  may  be 
useful  to  attempt  some  classification  and  some  analysis  of 
them,  so  that  the  causes  may  be  recognized,  and  to  some 
extent  manufactured  at  pleasure.  Of  course  there  are  no 
effects  that  can  not  be  enhanced  or  modified  by  judicious 
planting  and  by  other  means,  but  we  propose  first  to  dis- 
cuss such  effects  as  are  wholly  due  to  the  lawn  itself, 
resulting  from  its  form  in  plan,  the  character  of  its  sur- 
face, whether  level,  graded,  or  undulating,  and  its  in- 
numerable gradations  of  color,  all  of  which  qualities  it 
will  be  seen  are  more  or  less  co-dependent,  so  that,  in 
appreciating  any  effect,  each  of  these  qualities  must  be 
considered  in  its  relative  importance.  We  have  already 
said,  in  the  discussion  of  driveways  and  paths,  that  the 
forms  of  our  lawns  and  grass  plots  result  from  the  lines 
adopted  for  the  paths,  which  lines  should  be  determined 


LAWNS  AND   GRASS  PLOTS.  41 

by  the  effects  produced  in  our  lawns  as  much  as  by  the 
numerous  considerations  involved  in  the  uses  and  objects 
of  paths.  Fortunately,  and  we  may  say  naturally,  the 
desirable  forms  for  lawns  are  best  arrived  at  by  serving 
the  uses  and  objects  of  paths,  that  is,  the  sweeps  and 
curves  we  have  advised  for  the  laying  out  of  paths  are 
the  most  effective  boundary  lines  for  lawns.  In  cases 
where  a  lack  of  simplicity  is  felt  owing  to  an  unusual 
number  of  curves  in  ths  lines  "of  paths,  and  where  these 
curves  can  not  well  be  dispensed  with,  we  may  re- 
store the  needed  repose  to  our  lawns  by  judicious  plant- 
ing ;  a  strong  straight  line  of  close  hedgerow,  as  formal 
as  trimmed  arbor-vitse,  is  often  a  pleasing  terminus  to  a 
strip  of  lawn  which  might  otherwise  have  a  sprawling  or 
crawling  expression  as  of  some  great  prostrated  animal ; 
and,  again,  where  a  bend  in  a  path  seems  to  take  a  notch 
out  of  the  otherwise  flowing  outline  of  our  lawn,  an  in- 
teresting copse  of  well-selected  foliage  can  be  interposed. 
In  general,  any  regular  form  for  a  lawn  is  unfortunate  in 
effect ;  the  question  of  its  actual  extent,  as  with  the  entire 
grounds,  should  be  left  undetermined.  Of  all  forms,  the 
square,  or  in  short  any  parallelogram,  should  be  avoided. 
For  small  grass  plots  in  close  proximity  to  the  house,  the 
circle  and  all  elliptical  forms  are  often  useful,  especial- 
ly in  the  management  of  driveways,  but  few  forms  are 
more  pleasing  in  perspective  and  more  easily  managed 
than  the  varieties  of  the  pear  shape.  Fig.  5  shows  an 
arrangement  of  lawns  and  paths  mainly  composed  of  this 


42  HOME  GROUNDS. 

latter  form,  which  affords  more  effective  opportunities  for 
planting  than  any  other,  while  it  results  from  the  easiest 
and  most  effective  lines  of  communication  for  paths  and 
drives. 

The  great  artistic  value  of  the  lawn  is  its  ever-varying 
tones  of  color,  first,  in  the  mere  gradations  of  foreground 
and  middle  distance,  then  in  the  gradations  resulting 
from  undulations  of  surface,  and  lastly  from  the  strong 
effects  of  contrast  resulting  from  the  shadows  of  the 
planting.  Of  these  last  effects  we  shall  have  more  to  say 
when  discussing  planting,  but  the  gradations  of  color  on 
an  undulating  surface  and  on  a  level  offer  the  landscape 
gardener  inexhaustible  opportunities  for  displaying  his 
skill.  Nature  is  his  model  as  she  is  the  painter's,  but 
she  is  also  his  ally,  and  will  glaze  his  picture  for  him 
with  all  her  qualities  of  sunlight  from  dawn  to  dark.  If 
his  actual  distances  are  too  short  for  the  effects  he  aims 
at,  he  must  model  his  ground  so  that  the  shade  side  of 
his  knolls  and  undulations  at  all  times  of  day  may  pre- 
serve the  values  necessary  to  the  perspective  he  has  man- 
ufactured. This  manufacturing  perspective  is  a  much 
simpler  thing  than  would  generally  be  supposed.  We 
know  that  the  predominance  of  yellow  in  a  perspective 
composition  is  a  quality  of  foreground,  and  blue  that  of 
distance,  which  is  only  another  way  of  saying  that  yellow 
is  the  strongest  quality  of  light ;  therefore  when  the  sun 
shines  upon  an  undulating  surface  of  grass,  we  shall  see 
the  shadows  or  shade  sides  in  blue-greens,  while  the 


LAWNS  AND  GRASS  PLOTS.  43 

lights  or  sunlit  sides  will  appear  as  yellow-greens.  These 
facts  enable  us  to  so  model  our  lawn  as  to  lend  distance 
to  the  farthest  points  and  prominence  to  the  nearest, 
always  assuming  the  positions  from  which  the  effect  will 
most  constantly  be  seen. 

If  a  lawn  is  large  enough,  say  at  least  an  acre  in  itself, 
the  beautiful  gradations  of  a  dead  level  are  appreciable, 
but  in  smaller  spaces  it  is  difficult  to  get  rid  of  a  sense 
of  formality  and  flatness,  though,  of  course,  almost  any 
defect  of  this  kind  can  be  much  mitigated,  if  not  alto- 
gether obviated,  by  planting,  as  the  shadows  can  prevent 
the  monotony  of  a  mere  green  carpet  of  apparently  one 
hue  throughout. 

The  practice  of  breaking  up  lawn  surfaces  with  flower 
beds  is,  to  say  the  least,  very  ineffective.  We  see  many 
places  whose  simplicity  and  real  beauty  are  marred  by 
uneasy  patches  in  the  center  of  almost  every  available 
grass  plot.  We  will  not  undertake  to  lay  down  invaria- 
ble rules  for  these  dispositions,  but,  in  general,  the  less 
ornamentation  employed  in  landscape  gardening,  the  bet- 
ter the  effect  will  be.  There  are  shrubs  and  plants  that 
are  occasionally  very  effective  in  emphasizing  a  particu- 
lar spot,  or  by  contrast  lending  the  desired  effect  to  other 
foliage,  which  at  a  greater  or  less  distance  acts  as  its 
background ;  but  nothing  can  be  gained  by  parti-colored 
patches  here  and  there,  looking  like  pieces  of  worsted 
work,  and  entirely  destroying  the  effect  of  ensemble  by 
their  strong  assertion ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that, 


44.  HOME  GROUNDS. 

even  if  the  spots  of  color  furnished  by  these  flower  beds 
were  desirable  in  our  scheme,  they  can  only  be  counted 
on  for  their  short  season,  and  consequently  our  effect  at 
other  times  is  incomplete. 

When  flowering  plants  are  used  on  the  lawn  or  grass 
plot,  it  is  much  better  that  they  should  apparently  grow 
directly  from  the  turf,  or  be  placed  in  pots,  tubs,  or  vases 
of  such  character  and  material  as  shall  assist  instead  of 
defacing  our  surface,  as  the  spots  of  earth  in  flower  beds 
must  inevitably  do.  Nature  knows  better  ;  she  shows  us 
her  flowers  in  banks  of  moss,  on  grassy  slopes,  on  crags 
of  rock,  or  mirrored  in  a  pool,  and,  though  we  may  choose 
to  have  a  flower  garden  to  supply  us  with  cut  flowers 
and  growing  plants  in  our  jardinieres,  we  can  not  do  bet- 
ter in  our  landscape  gardening  than  to  follow  her  exam- 
ple in  this  as  in  all  effects.  We  may,  of  course,  aim  at  the 
achievement  of  a  scheme  that  shall  have  its  spring,  its 
summer,  its  autumn,  and  even  its  winter  aspect,  all  of 
which  shall  be  attractive ;  in  fact,  no  scheme  of  garden 
improvement  can  be  considered  successful  that  has  not  the 
faculty  of  wearing  its  various  garbs  becomingly.  Nor  is 
such  an  achievement  the  most  difficult  part  of  our  task ; 
we  shall  find  that  it  is  as  easy  to  select  the  colors  and  all 
the  details  for  our  several  seasons,  if  only  we  have  planned 
and  modeled  well,  as  it  is  to  select  effective  costumes  for 
a  well-proportioned,  graceful  woman.  All  our  general 
effects  of  plan  and  disposition,  if  satisfactory  during  one 
season,  will,  as  in  nature,  certainly  remain  so  during  the 


LAWNS  AND   GXASS  PLOTS.  45 

next.  It  is  only  in  the  selection  of  trees,  shrubs,  plants, 
and  vines  that  we  can  exercise  the  discretion  and  fore- 
sight when  once  we  are  committed  to  our  scheme  of 
arrangement.  . 

Some  of  the  most  successful  grounds  we  have  seen 
are  laid  out  in  the  simplest  fashion — a  single  broad  drive- 
way from  the  gate  to  the  house  and  thence  to  the  stable 
being  the  only  gravel  surface,  the  rest  of  the  place  being 
devoted  to  a  broad  expanse  of  perfectly  kept  turf,  upon 
which  groves,  copses,  hedges,  and  here  and  there  a  broad- 
spreading  oak  or  a  pair  of  arching  elms  are  distributed 
or  clustered,  so  as  to  provide  various  effects,  from  the 
densest  shade  to  the  breeziest  common,  and  vistas  so 
managed  that  there  is  always  a  sunlit  glade  beyond. 


IV. 

PLANTING. 

"  Where  to  the  eye  three  well-marked  distances 
Spread  their  peculiar  coloring — vivid  green, 
Warm  brown,  and  black  opaque,  the  foreground  bears 
Conspicuous;  sober  olive  coldly  marks 
The  second  distance ;  thence  the  third  declines 
In  softer  blue,  or,  lessening  still,  is  lost 
In  fainted  purple.     When  thy  taste  is  called 
To  deck  a  scene  where  Nature's  self  presents 
All  these  distinct  gradations,  then  rejoice 
As  does  the  painter,  and,  like  him,  apply 
Thy  colors ;  plant  thou  on  each  separate  part 
Its  proper  foliage.1' 

THE  art  of  disposing  our  trees  and  shrubs  so  that 
they  shall  not  only  display  their  own  beauties  to  advan- 
tage by  the  relative  position  of  different  varieties,  but 
shall  emphasize  the  best  points  of  the  plan  adopted,  and 
carry  out  the  most  effective  dispositions,  is  the  crowning 
work  of  the  landscape  gardener.  Before  selecting  from 
the  varieties  available,  he  must  determine  the  general 
form  of  each  copse,  thicket,  hedge,  or  tree,  must  have  a 
clear  conception  of  the  effects  he  desires,  both  as  a  whole 


PLANTING.  47 

and  in  detail.  .  In  the  several  illustrations  already  re- 
ferred to,  dotted  lines  are  shown  radiating  from  the 
important  points  of  view,  such  as  the  porch  of  the  house, 
the  bay-windows,  and  from  some  points  of  the  entrance 
path,  or  drive.  In  following  these  lines  it  will  be  noticed 
that  they  explain  the  effective  reasons  for  the  disposi- 
tions of  the  planting,  and  suggest  the  vistas  that  have 
been  arranged  on  these  sight  lines.  In  planting,  as  in  all 
else,  one  must  begin  at  the  bottom  and  work  upward ; 
the  first  things  to  bo  determined  are  the  individual  and 
relative  position  of  each  tree  or  clump,  then  the  respec- 
tive form  of  each  in  plan — that  is,  how  much  ground 
they  shall  cover,  and  in  what  form.  The  next  question  is 
the  shape  of  the  growth,  or  its  silhouette  against  the  sky. 
Then  the  character  of  the  foliage,  as  a  whole,  and  in 
detail,  and,  lastly,  how  far  we  shall  compose  so  as  to 
bring  out  particular  shrubs  or  trees  against  the  rest  of  our 
planting,  as  a  background. 

The  general  effects  to  be  avoided  in  planting  are  dis- 
positions that  subdivide  our  lawn  in  any  regular  way — 
in  other  words,  symmetry,  or  any  disposition  that  sug- 
gests a  system  of  spacing,  robs  the  landscape  of  the  natu- 
ral element.  We  often  see  in  mountainous  country  the 
most  charming  effects  of  lawns,  woodlands,  and  shrub- 
bery on  distant  hillsides,  sufficiently  distant  to  soften  and 
smooth  the  rough  and  unkempt  effects  that  undoubtedly 
exist  on  the  spot.  It  is  such  effects  as  these  that  we  can 
realize  in  our  gardens,  and  add  to  them  many  interesting 


48 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


and  beautiful  details.  Much  of  our  planting  may  not  be 
a  matter  of  choice,  but  of  necessity  where  there  are 
neighboring  objects  which  it  is  desirable  to  screen,  and  in 
such  cases  we  must  make  up  for  any  loss  of  freedom  of 
effect  by  an  artistic  arrangement  of  the  thicket  or  hedge. 
A  beautiful  view  of  distant  hills  may  often  be  much  en- 
hanced by  the  foreground  we  oppose,  our  varieties  of 
trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  enabling  us  to  design  and  realize 
almost  any  outline  for  our  foreground  and  middle-dis- 
tance foliage,  as  well  as  to  determine  their  relations  of 
color.  Fig.  12  and  Fig.  13  are  illustrations  of  what  we 


have  said  in  regard  to  form  and  character  of   foliage. 
For  color  we  would  refer  the  reader  to  nature,  and  we 


PLANTING. 


49 


trust  that  what  we  have  said,  and  what  we  are  about  to 
say,  in  describing  the  principal  varieties  of  trees,  shrubs, 
and  vines,  may  make  the  realization  of  natural  beauties 
somewhat  easier.  It  must  be  remembered  that  both 


form  and  color  can  be  made  valuable  without,  foliage — 
that  many  of  the  most  beautiful  landscape  effects  are  to 
be  seen  in  winter  when  the  evergreen  is  the  only  surviv- 
ing green.  The  character  and  color  of  bark  are  also  im- 
portant elements  of  eifect  in  summer  as  well  as  in  win- 
ter, if  the  trees  are  in  positions  to  display  their  trunks,  or 
if  they  rise  above  other  vegetation  so  as  to  expose  their 
larger  branches.  The  gardener  is  fortunate  who  is  as- 
sisted in  his  improvements  by  a  few  existing  fine  old 
trees,  and,  when  he  lays  out  what  remains  for  him  to  do. 


50  HOME  GROUNDS. 

he  should  think  twice  before  hiding  behind  shrubbery 
the  gnarled  and  mellow  effects  that  it  has  taken  so  many 
years  to  accomplish,  and  which  will  make  such  a  pleasing 
contrast  rising  out  of  a  rich,  fresh  turf.  In  any  scheme 
of  improvement,  however  limited  the  extent  of  the 
grounds,  it  is  more  effective  to  conceal  the  house  from 
the  entrance  gate  as  a  standpoint,  and  from  some  other 
points  of  the  entrance  path  on  its  approach,  so  that  the 
visitor  may  catch  glimpses  of  the  building  here  and 
there  through  the  planting  before  he  reaches  a  point  at 
which  the  whole  is  apparent.  There  are  other  advan- 
tages in  such  dispositions  than  those  of  effect — private 
advantages  to  the  occupants  of  the  house,  especially  in 
small  places,  for,  when  the  gate  latch  is  heard  to  rise  and 
fall,  the  visitor  may  be  recognized  as  he  passes  the  open- 
ings in  the  shrubbery,  and  may  be  admitted  or  denied 
admission  accordingly.  Any  one  can  escape  from  the 
porch  or  veranda  in  time  without  subjecting  the  visitor 
to  the  annoyance  of  seeing  his  host  or  hostess  fly  at  his 
approach.  In  some  places  of  large  extent,  \vhere  the 
sound  of  the  gate  is  not  audible  as  far  as  the  house,  a  bell 
is  arranged,  which  the  visitor  unconsciously  rings  by 
opening  the  gate,  and  this  idea  could  now  be  enlarged 
upon  to  include  a  telephone  so  as  to  save  unnecessary 
steps. 

The  illustration  of  entrance  gates  that  we  have  used  as 
the  frontispiece  to  this  book  is  a  portrait  of  the  entrance 
to  Fig.  5,  and  is  published  by  the  special  permission  of  the 


PLANTING.  51 

author's  former  partner,  Mr.  Bassett  Jones,  and,  although 
the  gateway  itself  is  rather  more  imposing  and  expensive 
than  is  usual  or  than  would  be  appropriate  for  small 
grounds,  the  general  effect  of  the  planting  is  a  good 
example  of  the  treatment  we  would  advise  to  conceal  the 
house,  and  give  the  effect  of  dense  vegetation  on  enter- 
ing the  premises.  Of  course,  the  large  trees  in  this 
instance  have  accomplished  more  than  half  the  work,  but 
even  where  these  do  not  exist,  and  can  not  be  acquired 
for  many  years,  the  desired  result  can  be  approximated  to 
with  such  hardy,  rapid-growing  young  trees  and  shrubs 
as  can  be  procured  and  transplanted.  In  regard  to  the 
outline  of  any  tree  or  shrub,  or  of  a  clump,  what  can  not 
be  accomplished  by  selecting  the  right  varieties  for  the 
form  we  desire  must  be  done  with  the  pruning-knife, 
and  often  by  the  employment  of  vines  growing  on  the 
trees.  Almost  all  trees  and  shrubs  grow  according  to 
the  space  surrounding  them.  If  confined  on  all  sides, 
they  shoot  upward  for  light  and  air,  and  assume  entirely 
different  forms  and  proportions  from  those  they  would 
acquire  in  an  open  space ;  so,  if  confined  on  three  sides, 
the  growth  will  be  toward  the  fourth,  especially  if  that  is 
the  sunny  side. 

This  faculty  of  vegetation  of  taking  any  general  form 
we  may  desire,  in  its  instinctive  reaching  for  light  and 
air,  enables  us  to  produce  a  great  variety  of  effects  with 
a  small  variety  of  plants,  and  this  is  the  more  fortu- 
nate because  it  is  difficult,  expensive,  and  often  practi- 


52  HOME  GROUNDS. 

cally  impossible  to  make  certain  things  grow  in  every  sit- 
uation ;  so  that,  even  where  our  means  are  unlimited,  we 
shall  often  .meet  with  disappointments  in  transplanting. 
It  is  usually  safer  to  note  the  indigenous  varieties,  and 
largely  adhere  to  them.  There  are  localities  in  which 
many  kinds  of  familiar  common  trees,  for  reasons  more 
or  less  incomprehensible,  do  not  thrive,  and  other  situa- 
tions in  which  only  a  limited  variety  can  live  at  all. 
Some  limitations  of  this  kind  can  be  obviated  by  chang- 
ing the  nature  of  the  soil,  either  by  mixing  in  the  neces- 
sary enrichments  to  a  sufficient  depth,  or  by  raising  the 
level  of  the  whole  ground  with  the  necessary  quantity  of 
earth  of  the  right  sort ;  but  these  are  improvements  that 
involve  expense.  In  exposed  situations,  such  as  the  sea- 
shore, river-banks,  and  hill-tops — in  short,  in  all  situations 
exposed  to  the  keener  winter  storms — the  hardiest  vege- 
tation should,  as  far  as  possible,  be  so  disposed  as  to 
shield  the  half-hardy  and  more  sensitive  on  the  north 
and  cast.  Large  trees,  dense  shrubbery,  and  hedgerows 
can  also  be  made  to  act  as  bulwarks  for  the  house  in  the 
same  way,  and  whichever  is  first  established — the  house 
or  the  trees — should,  to  a  great  extent,  determine  the  po- 
sition of  the  other,  at  all  events,  if  the  house  is  occupied 
in  winter,  which  may  be  the  case  with  any  house,  whether 
it  is  built  solely  as  a  summer-house  or  not. 

It  has  not  yet  become  common  to  plant  a  garden  with 
any  special  view  to  the  various  seasons,  and  we  would 
suggest  the  idea  of  a  spring  garden  in  which  the  branches 


PLANTING.  53 

shall  be  still  without  foliage,  though  of  all  hues,  from  the 
many  grays  and  browns  of  the  old  bark  to  the  innumer- 
able tints  of  browns,  greens,  and  reds  of  the  twigs — occa- 
sionally contrasted  with  the  white  bark  of  the  silver 
birch,  with  its  dark  and  graceful  branches.  With  all  this, 
and  against  the  net-work  of  twigs  and  switches  as  a  back- 
ground, should  stand  out  the  white  blossoms  of  the  dog- 
wood, the  pink  flowers  of  the  Daphne,  the  flowering 
almond,  and  all  shrubs  and  trees  that  blossom  early  be- 
fore they  leaf.  Sush  an  effect  would  be  tiresome  if  per- 
petual, but  for  its  short  season  could  be  more  beautiful 
than  any  other.  Then,  as  the  early  summer  comes,  these 
flrst  blossoms  will  fall ;  but,  while  they  are  fast  disappear- 
ing, the  apple-trees,  peach-trees:  and  cherry-trees  bloom 
out,  and,  with  the  horse-chestnuts,  make  another  display 
of  color  softened  by  the  fresh  greens  of  the  new  leaves, 
and  so  we  pass  on  through  all  the  deepening  tones  of  sum- 
mer till  the  first  frost  sets  our  thickets  all  ablaze  with 
gold  and  scarlet,  making  the  effects  during  the  winter 
season  seem  hushed  and  cold.  When  the  snow  lies  un- 
broken over  the  whole  landscape,  and  suggests,  in  its 
rounded,  glistening  way,  all  that  it  so  softly  covers,  we 
shall  find  effects  at  sunset  of  each  short  day,  in  looking 
through  the  bare  boughs  at  the  western  sky,  that  may  not 
enliven  us  as  much  as  our  spring  picture,  but  they  en- 
lighten us  much  more. 


V. 

TREES,  ETC. 

WE  would  not  be  understood  to  mean,  by  anything 
we  have  said  in  the  previous  chapter,  that  \ve  advise  the 
coaxing  and  forcing  of  trees  into  forms  that  are  unnatu- 
ral for  them  to  assume,  but  the  contrary ;  and  we  believe 
that  any  desired  form  of  vegetation  can  be  grown  if  the 
trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  are  selected  with  due  regard  to 
their  peculiarities,  and  are  cared  for  with  an  appreciation 
of  their  requirements.  There  is  a  vast  difference  between 
letting  a  place  run  wild,  and,  by  judicious  pruning  and 
propping,  enabling  each  variety  of  tree  and  shrub  to  at- 
tain its  healthiest  development.  Our  descriptive  lists  of 
trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  available  for  landscape  gardening 
in  the  United  States  do  not  pretend  to  be  exhaustive, 
but  merely  to  mention  the  material  for  planting  that  can 
usually  be  found  at  the  nurseries,  while  the  descriptions 
are  intended  to  enable  any  one  to  recognize  what  he 
may  desire  to  select  without  previous  study.  The  lists 
are  arranged  alphabetically  for  convenient  reference  un- 
der four  heads,  viz. :  "  Trees  "  (deciduous),  "Evergreens," 
"  Shrubs,"  and  "  Vines."  Any  directions  for  the  cultiva- 


TREES,   ETC.  55 

tion  of  flowers  or  description  of  varieties  is  beyond  the 
compass  of  this  small  volume,  and  would  require  to  be  dis- 
cussed in  a  more  technical  manner  than  we  have  assumed 
in  these  pages.  We  may,  however,  say,  for  the  benefit 
of  those  who  are  especially  interested  in  horticulture, 
without  having  any  scientific  knowledge  to  assist  them, 
that  flowers  thrive  best  in  sand  well  manured,  exposed  to 
the  morning  sun,  and  sheltered  by  vegetation  or  build- 
ings from  the  northern  and  northeastern  storms.  Under 
these  conditions,  if  the  weeds  are  uprooted,  the  surface 
disturbed  daily,  water  supplied  early  in  the  morning  and 
at  sundown,  and  the  flowers  cut  with  a  sharp  knife  as 
eoon  as  they  are  developed,  there  can  be  little  difficulty 
in  having  a  plentiful  supply,  always  providing  that  the 
roots  have  plenty  of  room.  Overcrowding  in  the  garden 
or  too  small  pots  will  not  be  attended  with  blooming  re- 
sults. In  regard  to  fruit-trees,  fruit-bearing  bushes,  vines, 
and  plants,  we  shall  discuss  them  only  from  the  decorative 
point  of  view,  as  fruit  growing  can  hardly  be  considered 
as  a  branch  of  landscape  gardening. 

DESCRIPTIVE  LIST  OF  TREES  (DECIDUOUS). 
AILANTUS. — This  tree  is  sufficiently  familiar  in  al- 
most all  parts  of  the  United  States  to  require  little  de- 
scription. We  have  already  mentioned  some  of  its  objec- 
tionable peculiarities,  to  which  may  be  added  a  more  or 
less  offensive  odor.  It  is,  however,  not  without  virtues, 
being  particularly  clean  and  exempt  from  the  attacks  of 


56  HOME  GROUNDS. 

insects  or  worms,  and  is  one  of  the  most  rapid  growers 
for  the  first  ten  years.  As  a  full-grown  tree  it  assumes  a 
graceful  form,  and  its  peculiar  fern-like  foliage  is  often 
very  effective. 

APPLE-TKEES  are  not  particularly  valuable  as  features 
in  landscape  gardening  till  they  have  attained  an  old 
age,  when  the  tortuous  forms  assumed  by  many  varieties 
are  extremely  picturesque.  An  old  apple-tree  in  full 
blossom  is  a  beautiful  feature  on  a  lawn,  and  later  in  the 
season,  when  its  branches  are  laden  with  brilliant  red  or 
golden  fruit,  contrasting  with  its  clustering  dark-green 
leaves,  it  becomes  a  very  ornamental  object. 

ASH. — Of  this  tree  there  are  many  varieties,  of  which 
the  most  beautiful  are  the  white  ash  with  its  abundant 
bluish-green  foliage  and  picturesque  trunk,  its  small 
branches  and  small  leaves  turning  purple  in  the  autumn  ; 
the  weeping  ash,  with  drooping  branches,  abundant,  dark, 
glossy  foliage  and  irregular,  straggling  growth ;  the 
golden  ash,  so  called  from  the  color  its  foliage  assumes 
with  the  first  autumn  frost,  in  other  respects  much  re- 
sembling the  white  ash,  except  that  it  does  not  attain  so 
great  size  and  has  larger  branches.  The  Mountain  ash  is 
also  very  decorative,  with  large  clusters  of  white  blossoms 
in  May  a:.d  scarlet  berries  in  autumn. 

ASPEN. — This  tree  is  properly  a  variety  of  poplar,  and 
is  described  under  that  head  hereafter,  as  also  the  "  Balm 
of  Gilead." 

BASS. — This  is  one  of  the  most  valuable  trees  to  the 


TREES,   ETC.  57 

landscape  gardener,  having  a  beautiful,  clean  trunk,  a 
graceful,  rounded  form,  and  large,  glossy,  heart-shaped 
leaves.  This  tree  is  also  called  the  "  linden,"  and  another 
variety  in  which  the  leaves  are  of  a  brighter  green  and 
much  glossier  is  called  the  "  grape-leaved  linden,"  because 
the  leaves  are  more  varied  in  form. 

BEECH. — There  are  several  varieties  of  the  beech-tree 
found  in  America,  the  most  interesting  of  which  for  gar- 
dening are  the  weeping  beech,  the  "  purple-leaved  beech," 
and  the  "fern-leaved  beech."  The  trunk  of  the  beech- 
tree  is  particularly  effective  in  landscape,  with  its  gray, 
mottled  bark,  so  smooth  and  clean.  The  weeping  beech 
is  irregular,  pendent,  and  luxurious  in  growth,  its  foliage, 
like  the  "  purple-leaved  beech,"  being  glossy.  The  foliage 
of  all  beech-trees  is  small,  dark,  and  smooth,  though  always 
brilliant,  and  turns  to  a  rich  umber. 

BIRCH. — The  most  useful  of  the  birches  in  landscape 
work  is  the  canoe  or  paper  birch,  with  which  every  one  is 
familiar.  Its  slender,  graceful,  silver  trunk  and  dark  red- 
brown  branches,  together  with  its  small,  dark,  but  silver- 
lined  leaves,  often  afford  a  gleaming  effect  in  a  thicket 
of  other  and  larger  foliage  that  is  extremely  effective.  Its 
tendency,  already  mentioned,  of  sending  up  shoots  in  all 
directions  makes  it  as  troublesome  on  a  lawn  as  it  is  valu- 
able in  a  thicket. 

BLACK- WALNUT. — This  tree  is  unmanageable  in  land- 
scape work,  owing  to  its  selfish  propensity  in  destroying 
almost  all  other  surrounding  vegetation,  including  grass. 


58  HOME  GROUNDS. 

This  is  the  more  to  be  regretted,  because  the  tree  is  a 
handsome  one  and  attains  great  size. 

The  same  objection  can  be  made  in  a  lesser  degree 
to  the  butternut-tree,  which,  however,  is  not  so  hand- 
some as  the  black-walnut,  its  foliage  resembling  the  vari- 
eties of  ash  to  the  unbotanical  eye.  Both  these  trees 
have  sufficient  commercial  value  and  beauty  of  texture 
and  color  in  their  wood  to  atone  for  their  unavailable 
peculiarities  in  landscape  gardening. 

CATALPA. — This  tree  is  a  native  of  the  South,  and, 
though  not  fully  hardy,  is  a  valuable  lawn  tree.  It  grows 
very  rapidly,  spreading  to  a  beautiful  rounded  form,  with 
trunk  and  limbs  of  a  delicate  brown ;  its  beautiful  clus- 
ters of  violet  blossoms,  and  its  large,  velvety,  heart- 
shaped,  pale-green  leaves  make  a  most  decorative  effect. 
In  exposed  situations  it  is  necessary  to  stay  and  prop  the 
branches  to  prevent  their  being  broken  in  wind  storms, 
but  these  contrivances  are  hidden  by  the  luxuriant  foli- 
age, which  affords  an  ample  shade,  and  survives  the  most 
scorching  sun  that  withers  almost  all  other  vegetation. 

CHESTNUT.— This  tree  is  as  valuable  as  the  oak  for 
landscape-gardening  purposes  ;  its  fine  massy  foliage  and 
its  greenish-yellow  blossoms  make  it  very  ornamental. 
When  young,  its  stem  is  smooth  and  its  foliage  clear  and 
bright,  and  in  old  age  it  attains  majestic  size.  The  Span- 
ish chestnut  is  a  small  tree,  rarely  attaining  in  this  coun- 
try a  greater  height  than  forty  feet,  and  then  only  in  a 
mild  climate ;  it  is,  however,  a  luxuriant  and  beautiful 


TREES,   ETC.  59 

tree,  often  available  where  the  ordinary  chestnut  would 
not  be  so  effective. 

CHERRY. — The  varieties  of  cherry-trees  are  more 
marked  in  their  fruit  than  in  their  general  appearance, 
and,  while  every  one  appreciates  the  preference  for  the 
cultivated  fruit,  the  wild-cherry  is  much  the  most  pictu- 
resque tree,  at  least  while  young  ;  its  leaves  and  branches 
are  darker  and  glossier,  and  it  grows  in  a  more  graceful 
form. 

COFFEE-TEEE — so  named  because  the  first  Kentucky 
pioneers  used  the  seeds  as  a  substitute  for  coffee — is  a 
very  beautiful  tree,  bearing  white  blossoms  early  in  sum- 
mer, and  having  doubly  compound  leaves  three  feet  long, 
of  a  bluish-green.  It  takes  a  finely  rounded  form,  and 
grows  to  about  sixty  feet  in  height  in  northern  latitudes. 

CYPRESS. — This  tree  is  very  common  in  the  Southern 
States,  and  does  not  thrive  farther  north  than  New  York 
City ;  it  is,  however,  a  very  interesting  and  beautiful  tree 
for  landscape  work,  being  conical  in  youth  and  always 
luxuriant,  its  foliage  being  of  a  light,  rich  gr.een.  There 
is  a  specimen  in  the  Bertram  Garden,  in  Philadelphia, 
one  hundred  and  thirty  feet  high  and  twenty-five  feet  in 
circumference.  Its  peculiar  rugged  trunk,  with  conical 
excrescences,  makes  it  a  picturesque  addition  to  any  col- 
lection, and  a  grove  of  cypress  is  very  impressive. 

DOGWOOD. — This  tree,  though  a  small  one,  is  one  of 
the  most  decorative — its  curious,  picturesque  forms  and 
its  large  blossoms  are  familiar  in  all  parts  of  America — 


60  HOME  GROUNDS. 

and  is  often  seen  in  full  blossom  in  a  mass  of  evergreens, 
whose  society  it  seems  to  find  congenial  in  contradistinc- 
tion to  most  other  trees. 

ELM. — The  elm  is  of  all  American  trees  the  most 
graceful,  especially  the  weeping  or  white  elm,  which 
abounds  in  the  Berkshire  hills  in  Massachusetts,  and  has 
been  so  often  mentioned  by  the  poets  and  story-tellers. 
There  are,  however,  many  other  varieties,  all  of  which 
can  be  successfully  grown  in  America.  The  red  or  slip- 
pery elm  is  a  small  and  not  a  luxuriant  tree,  and  is  not 
valuable  for  landscape  work ;  but  the  wahoo  elm,  though 
small,  is  a  rapid  grower  and  a  picturesque  tree.  The 
English  elm  is  also  a  beautiful  tree,  and  spreads  finely, 
and  for  some  effects  the  small  compact'  and  upright 
"  purple-leaved  elm  "  is  very  useful.  There  are  also  the 
Scotch  weeping  elm,  much  like  our  own  and  many  other 
varieties,  which  are  curiosities  like  the  "  twisted  elm " 
and  the  "  gold-  and  silver-striped  elms,"  with  variegated 


GINKO,  or  SALISBTJRIA. — This  is  originally  a  Chinese 
variety,  but  has  been  successfully  grown  in  America  as 
far  north  as  Boston,  for  nearly  a  century.  The  foliage  is 
very  like  the  maiden-hair  fern,  only  much  larger,  of  a 
pale  yellow  green ;  the  general  form  is  conical,  and  it  at- 
tains great  size. 

HORSE-CHESTNUT. — Of  this  beautiful  tree  there  are 
many  varieties,  differing  in  size,  in  hardiness,  and  in  the 
color  and  profusion  of  blossoms,  but  they  are  all  decora- 


TREES,  ETC.  61 

tive,  though  we  have  not  as  yet  in  this  country  produced 
specimens  to  compare  with  the  finest  in  Europe.  The 
varieties  are :  the  Ohio  buckeye,  small  size,  yellow  flow- 
ers with  red  stamens ;  the  "  red-flowered  "  is  small,  with 
scarlet  flowers;  the  "smooth-leaved"  has  pale  yellow 
flowers.  The  "  red-  and  yellow-flowered  Pavia  "  of  the 
South  are  pretty  varieties,  but  the  common  tree,  with  its 
bunches  of  white  blossoms,  is  the  finest  of  all.  The 
horse-chestnut  is  so  called  because  in  Turkey  the  nuts 
are  ground  into  meal  for  broken-winded  horses,  and  it 
was  from  Turkey  in  Asia  that  the  tree  was  first  intro- 
duced into  England,  where  there  are  now  the  finest  speci- 
mens in  the  world.  The  Avenue  in  Hyde  Park,  when 
the  horse-chestnuts  are  in  bloom,  is  a  sight  worth  cross- 
ing the  water  for.  The  trees  stand  free,  rising  out  of  a 
rich  turf  to  a  great  height  like  a  procession  of  verdant 
flowering  bee-hives  as  the  branches  droop  almost  to  the 
ground,  while,  with  the  sun  on  the  decline,  their  foliage 
and  their  deep  shadow  make  a  wonderful  gradation  of 
color. 

HICKORY. — The  most  ornamental  species  are  the  shell- 
bark  hickory,  the  pig-nut  and  the  pecan-nut ;  all  of  these 
assume  beautiful  forms,  and  grow  to  large  trees.  The 
bark  of  the  shell-bark  hickory  is  very  peculiar,  becoming 
almost  detached  from  the  trunk  in  large  scales.  The 
nuts  of  this  tree,  which  are  universally  familiar,  used  to 
be  called  the  Kisky-tom  nut  by  the  old  Dutch  settlers. 
The  pecan-nut  hickory  has  the  largest  leaves,  often 


62  HOME  GROUNDS. 

eighteen  inches  long,  of  a  brilliant  green.  All  the  hick- 
ories, but  the  Southern  water  bitter-nut,  have  beautiful 
large  foliage,  and  are  effective  garden  trees. 

LOCUST. — -Besides  the  exceeding  value  of  its  wood,  the 
locust  is  a  very  beautiful  tree,  putting  out  white  fragrant 
blossoms  in  June,  and  delicate  pinnated  bluish-green 
leaves.  There  are  various  opinions  as  to  its  ornamental 
pretensions,  but  we  notice  that  nature  always  shows  us  a 
clump  of  locusts  which  is  certainly  beautiful. 

LARCH. — This  is  a  resinous,  cone-bearing  tree  of  the 
pine  family,  but,  unlike  them,  sheds  its  leaves,  which 
grow  in  bunches  and  are  a  bright,  light  green,  while  the 
branches  and  twigs  are  a  rich  red  brown.  It  is  a  rapid 
grower,  and  a  very  picturesque  pyramidal  lawn  tree. 

LIME. — This  is  another  name  for  the  linden  or  bass- 
wood  tree,  already  described.  There  are  five  or  six  va- 
rieties of  these  trees,  all  large-leaved  and  beautiful ;  the 
Susquehanna  River,  Pennsylvania,  variety,  with  its  sil- 
very bark,  is,  perhaps,  the  finest  for  garden  embellish- 
ment. 

THREE-THOKNED  LOCUST,  or  ACACIA. — This  tree  has 
many  advantages  as  a  lawn  tree  over  the  ordinary  locust, 
though  it  has  not  the  same  beautiful  blossoms,  but  its 
foliage  is  more  luxuriant,  and  it  assumes  a  variety  of 
picturesque  forms,  sometimes  a  pyramid  of  sixty  feet, 
and  again  a  low  horizontally-branched  tree.  It  does  not 
produce  suckers  like  the  locust,  which  makes  it  less 
troublesome. 


TREES,   ETC.  63 

JUDAS. — This  tree  grows  only  about  twenty  feet  high, 
and  is  covered  with  pink  blossoms  early  in  the  spring,  be- 
fore the  leaves  have  expanded  ;  from  this  fact  it  is  often 
popularly  called  "  red  bud."  There  are  two  varieties, 
the  American  and  the  European ;  the  latter  has  darker 
and  less  pointed  leaves. 

MAPLE. — Maples  are  rapid  growers,  and  have  not  only 
luxuriant,  brilliant  foliage,  but  a  variety  of  beautiful 
trunks.  The  trees  are  sure  to  assume  good  forms  if  al- 
lowed sufficient  room,  and  not  the  least  of  their  merits  as 
garden  trees  consist  in  their  autumnal  tints  and  the  clus- 
tering growth  of  the  leaves.  There  are  in  America  no 
less  than  nine  varieties,  of  which,  perhaps,  the  scarlet 
maple  is  the  finest,  though  the  white  maple  is  more  um- 
brageous. The  silver-leafed  maple  is  beautiful  in  the 
same  way  that  the  silver  poplar  is  valuable,  while  we 
could  find  a  great  deal  to  say  upon  the  subject  of  the 
sugar  maple,  which,  even  when  robbed  of  its  plentiful 
sap,  still  finds  means  to  become  a  fine  tree,  frequently 
turning  half  yellow  and  half  red,  unlike  other  kinds,  in 
autumn.  It  is  not,  however,  a  proper  lawn  tree  in  com- 
parison with  those  we  have  mentioned,  though  its  trunk 
in  maturity  is  handsomer. 

MAGNOLIA. — This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
various  of  all  vegetation  ;  there  are  many  varieties,  from 
those  with  leaves  only  a  few  inches  in  length  to  those 
whose  leaves  are  even  two  feet  long.  The  variety  of 
forms,  both  of  flowers  and  leaves,  seems  unlimited,  as 


64  HOME  GROUNDS. 

well  as  the  colors  of  the  blossoms ;  some  have  a  delicious 
perfume.  In  the  South  magnolia-trees  reach  an  altitude 
of  seventy  feet,  and  a  blossoming  grove  is  a  beautiful 
sight.  Some  varieties  are  evergreens. 

MULBERRY  (Paper). — This  is  the  only  variety  of  mul- 
berry that  is  valuable  as  a  garden  tree.  Its  peculiar  in- 
terest consists  in  the  different  forms  assumed  by  the 
leaves,  no  two  being  exactly  alike.  It  looks  like  an  ex- 
otic, as  it  really  is,  being  indigenous  to  Japan  and  the 
South  Sea  Islands.  It  grows  rapidly  to  about  thirty  feet, 
and  bears  red  berries. 

OAK. — To  attain  its  greatest  development  and  beauty, 
the  oak  requires  ample  space,  free  exposure  to  sun  and 
air,  and  deep,  rich  soil.  Evelyn  in  his  "  Sylva  "  says :  "  The 
incomparable  uses  of  this  wood  were  needless  to  enumer- 
ate ;  but  so.  precious  was  the  esteem  of  it  of  old,  there 
was  an  express  law  among  the  twelve  tables  concerning 
the  very  gathering  of  the  acorns,  though  they  should  be 
fallen  on  another  man's  ground.  The  land  and  the  sea 
do  sufficiently  speak  for  the  improvement  of  this  excel- 
lent material,  for  houses  and  ships,  cities  and  navies  are 
builded  with  it."  There  are  no  less  than  forty  varieties 
in  America;  the  "live  oak,"  "Spanish  oak,"  "red  oak," 
and  "  white  oak  "  are  the  finest. 

OSAGE  ORANGE. — A  very  beautiful  Southern  tree, 
sometimes  attaining  sixty  feet  in  height ;  the  branches 
are  light-colored,  with  spines  at  every  joint.  The  leaves 
are  long,  ovate,  and  pointed,  of  a  deep  green,  and  glossier 


TREES,   ETC.  65 

than  the  orange.  Its  branches  are  wide-spreading  and 
far  apart,  so  that  it  is  not  dense. 

PEPPERIDGE,  TUPELO,  or  SOUR-GUM  TREE,  is  one  of  the 
varieties  of  gum-trees,  and  recommends  itself  to  the  land- 
scape gardener  for  its  glossy,  dark-green  foliage,  and  the 
brilliant  flame  color  it  takes  on  with  autumn.  The  black- 
gum  tree  has  larger  leaves,  and  is  a  larger  tree,  but  can 
not  live  in  the  North. 

PERSIMMON.— This  is  a  useful  addition  to  the  garden, 
with  its  dark-green,  glossy  leaves  some  five  inches  long ; 
it  is  somewhat  like  an  orange-tree  in  appearance,  though 
larger,  often  attaining  fifty  feet  in  height. 

PAULOWNIA. — This  tree  is  a  native  of  Japan,  and  is 
remarkable  for  the  great  size  of  its  heart-shaped  leaves 
and  its  rapid  growth.  It  produces  panicled  clusters  of 
bluish  lilac  blossoms  in  abundance  and  of  pleasant 
odor. 

PEAR. — The  varieties  of  paar-trees  are  too  numerous 
to  be  here  set  down,  especially  as  artistically  there  are 
none  of  them  valuable  in  gardening.  They  often  assume 
picturesque  forms  in  old  age,  but  their  place  can  be  sup- 
plied. 

PEACH. — The  artistic  value  of  the  peach-tree  is  main- 
ly in  its  blossoms,  and  for  their  sake  it  may  well  be  in- 
cluded in  our  spring  effects. 

PLANE,  or  BUTTON-WOOD. — This  is  a  broad,  umbra- 
geous tree  of  great  size.  It  has  a  habit  of  shedding  its 
bark  in  patches,  suggesting  Bryant's  lines : 


66  HOME  GROUNDS. 

u  Clear  are  the  depths  where  its  eddies  play, 
And  dimples  deepen  and  whirl  away, 
And  the  plane-tree's  speckled  arms  o'ershoot 
The  swifter  current  that  mines  its  root." 

POPLAK. — Poplars  are  rapid  growers  and  small  leaved, 
but  present  a  great  variety  of  forms.  The  Lombardy 
poplar,  as  Proctor  says,  "  Shoots  up  its  spire,  and  shakes 
its  leaves  in  the  sun."  The  aspen  also  has  this  peculi- 
arity. The  silver  poplar  is,  on  the  contrary,  a  broad,  um- 
brageous tree  with  a  silvery  bark,  arid  leaves  silvered  on 
the  under  side,  making  a  glistening  effect  in  a  bright, 
breezy  day.  There  are  twelve  other  varieties,  including 
the  "  Balm  of  Gilead,"  with  its  large,  heart-shaped  leaves. 

SASSAFRAS. — This  tree  is  much  like  the  European 
laurel  or  sweet-bay.  Its  blossoms,  which  appear  in  May, 
are  yellow,  in  small  clusters ;  the  leaves  are  oval  or  three- 
lobed,  of  a  deep,  glossy  green,  and,  though  it  is  a  com- 
paratively small  tree  of  rather  irregular  form,  it  is  very 
decorative  and  well  suited  to  the  garden. 

SWEET-GUM. — This  tree  is  not  unlike  the  maple  in 
appearance.  During  the  whole  summer  its  dense  foli- 
age retains  a  dark  glossy  freshness,  and  in  autumn  turns 
to  a  deep  purplish-red,  darker  or  lighter,  and  occasionally 
to  a  brilliant  orange.  This  difference  in  its  autumnal 
tints  makes  it  especially  valuable  with  other  trees,  as  it 
supplies  at  this  season  tones  to  be  had  in  no  other  foli- 
age. 

SYCAMORE. — This  is  a  large  tree,  large-leaved,  and 


TREES,   ETC.  67 

light  in  color,  both  as  to  leaves  and  bark,  the  latter  be- 
ing provided  with  a  sort  of  grayish-brown  covering  that 
peels  off  in  patches,  leaving  a  chalk-white  exposed,  and 
giving  the  tree  an  ill-used  look ;  in  form  the  tree  is  good, 
but  on  the  whole  ineffective. 

THORN-TREE. — This  is  frequently  little  more  than  a 
shrub,  but,  like  the  hawthorn,  if  given  room  will  grow  to 
thirty  feet.  The  foliage  is  glossy  and  dark  and  very  va- 
rious in  form,  growing  in  tufts,  and,  in  the  early  season, 
snowy  blossoms  appear  in  profusion.  The  fruit  is  deep- 
crimson  or  purple,  and  very  decorative. 

TULIP,  or  WHITE  WOOD. — This  tree  is  properly  of  the 
magnolia  family,  though  larger  than  they.  Its  foliage  is 
rich  and  glossy,  and  is  peculiar  in  form,  each  leaf  being 
six  to  eight  inches  in  width,  with  two-sided  lobes.  The 
blossoms  are  like  large  tulips,  borne  singly  on  the  young 
shoots,  and  are  very  brilliant. 

YIRGILIA. — This  tree  is  of  the  locust  description,  with 
pinnated  leaves;  the  foliage  is  dense,  and  the  height 
attained  is  about  forty  feet.  It  is  more  beautiful  than 
most  of  the  trees  with  pinnated  leaves,  and  has  a  profu- 
sion of  white  blossoms. 

WALNUT  (European)  is  much  like  our  black-walnut  in 
appearance,  and  is  no  less  a  large,  fast-growing  tree ;  its 
foliage  is  dense,  and  of  a  russet  hue  in  May,  turning  later 
to  a  yellow-green,  so  that  it  is  one  of  the  useful  trees  for 
many  effects,  though  it  loses  its  leaves  very  early. 

WILLOW. — This  is  a  comprehensive  word  applied  to 


gg  HOME  GROUNDS. 

many  varieties,  from  a  small  shrub  to  large  trees.  Of 
these  latter,  there  are  a  dozen  kinds  or  more  available, 
but  the  color  and  character  of  the  foliage  make  it  diffi- 
cult to  use  them  effectively  in  a  garden,  especially  a  small 

one. 

EVERGREENS. 

ARBOR-YIT.E. — The  American  variety  of  this  tree 
(often  called  the  white  cedar)  is  naturally  of  a  beauti- 
ful pyramidal  form,  branching  close  to  the  ground.  Its 
thick,  flat,  and  abundant  foliage  of  a  rich  green  is  only 
slightly  browned  by  severe  frost,  and  in  summer  submits 
to  the  shears  better  than  almost  any  other  tree  Or  shrub. 
For  hedges  and  often  for  copse  planting,  the  arbor-vitse 
is  invaluable ;  as  a  single  tree  in  open  ground  it  is  less 
eifective. 

CEDAR. — The  red  cedar  is  the  best  known  and  most 
useful  variety,  assuming  a  great  number  of  different 
forms,  according  to  the  soil  and  situation,  from  a  broad- 
spreading,  picturesque  tree  to  a  conical  and  formal  one. 
The  foliage  assumes  many  colors  at  different  seasons  and 
on  different  trees,  as  a  lively  green,  a  deep-green,  a  blue- 
green,  and  a  brown ;  its  density  and  richness  are  distinct 
from  the  same  qualities  in  the  arbor-vitae,  and  are  equally 
valuable  in  landscape  work. 

FIE. — Firs  are  divided  into  two  classes — the  spruce 
firs  and  the  silver  firs.  The  difference  between  pines 
and  firs  is  that  the  leaves  of  the  firs  are  shorter  and 
are  attached  all  round  the  twigs,  the  whole  tree  being 


TREES,  ETC.  69 

more  conical  in  form.  Of  the  spruce  firs  there  are  many 
varieties,  of  which,  perhaps,  the  finest  American  natives 
are  the  "black"  and  "red."  The  Norway  spruce  fir  is 
the  most  frequently  planted  for  ornamental  purposes, 
and  is  certainly  as  handsome  an  evergreen  as  can  be,  and 
among  the  grandest  of  trees  in  maturity.  The  spruce 
firs  also  include  the  hemlocks,  which  are  of  many  forms 
and  peculiarities,  round-headed,  conical,  and  straggling, 
but  always  graceful  or  picturesque  and  hardy,  to  say 
nothing  of  their  agreeable  fragrance,  in  which  they  re- 
semble the  balsam  silver  fir.  For  landscape  purposes 
the  silver  firs,  except  some  dwarf  varieties,  as  shrubs,  are 
not  valuable. 

HOLLY. — This  name  is  common  to  species  of  all  sizes, 
from  shrubs  to  trees,  mostly  evergreens.  The  character- 
istics of  the  European  Christmas  holly  are  sufficiently 
familiar,  but  it  is  not  hardy,  and  can  not  be  employed, 
as  it  is  in  England,  in  hedge-rows,  trees,  and  bushes, 
north  of  Maryland.  The  American  holly  is  very  simi- 
lar, but  still  a  Southern  native. 

PINE. — Of  this  large  family  there  are  as  many  as  fifty 
varieties,  including  the  natives  of  all  countries,  and  many 
subdivisions  could  be  made  under  varying  circumstances. 
Of  American  pines,  the  white  pine  is  undoubtedly  the 
grandest  and  most  beautiful  of  all,  and  secondly  the  yel- 
low pine  of  our  Southern  States,  whose  brilliant  foliage 
and  vigorous  growth  result,  especially  when  a  number 
of  trees  are  planted  en  masse,  in  an  effect  of  exotic  pic- 


YO  HOME  GROUNDS. 

turesqueness.  Pines  are  distinguished  from  other  ever- 
greens by  a  longer  leaf  or  needle,  and  in  these  needles 
growing  in  bunches  of  three,  five,  or  more  from  a  sort  of 
sheath.  Occasionally  the  less  important  varieties  have 
great  value  for  certain  effects.  Even  the  scrub-pine, 
that  grows  in  a  stunted  and  grotesque  manner  on  the 
sea-shore,  is  interesting  on  a  lawn  from  its  very  strag- 
gling appearance.  On  Long  Island  specimens  can  be 
seen  that  grow  upward  for  some  four  or  five  feet  and 
return  to  the  ground,  where  they  take  a  tortuous,  snake- 
like  form  for  several  yards  before  shooting,  or  rather 
bending,  upward  again. 

YEW. — Of  the  yew  family  there  are  some  twenty 
members,  none,  however,  in  this  country  attaining  any- 
thing like  the  proportions  of  the  English  yews;  but 
among  them  are  found  many  ornamental,  small  ever- 
greens that  are  useful  to  prevent  monotony.  The  foli- 
age is  like  the  fir  family,  but  the  leaves  are  longer  and 
thicker,  the  whole  mass  being  denser  and  richer. 

EVERGREEN  BERBERRY. — This  is  a  particularly  orna- 
mental tree  or  shrub,  has  dark-green,  shining  foliage, 
and  deep-orange  flowers  in  the  spring.  There  are  others 
that  do  not  present  these  peculiarities,  as,  for  instance, 
the  sweet-fruited  berberry,  which  is  more  a  shrub,  but 
still  an  ornamental  variety. 

JUNIPER. — This  tree  is  properly,  in  all  its  variations, 
a  member  of  the  cedar  family,  but  is  peculiar  in  its  com- 
pact, vertical  growth  and  acute,  conical  form.  The  most 


TREES,  ETC.  71 

decorative  variety  is  the  Irish  juniper,  which,  however, 
requires  protection  both  from  extreme  exposure  to  sun 
and  to  frost.  It  is  well  fitted  to  mark  the  angle  formed 
by  two  paths  in  open  ground,  but  not  for  close  planting. 

SHRUBS. 

ALTHEA. — This  shrub  recommends  itself,  if  for  no 
other  reason  than  that  it  blooms  in  August  and  Septem- 
ber, when  others  are  stripped  of  blossoms.  It  is  a  broad- 
headed,  rather  stiff  than  graceful  shrub,  but  among  the 
eight  or  more  varieties  there  are  several  very  decorative. 

AMOKPIIA. — This  is  a  very  showy  half-hardy  shrub, 
with  spikes  of  purple  and  violet  blossoms  sprinkled  with 
yellow,  appearing,  according  to  the  variety,  from  June 
to  August.  There  are  some  seven  varieties,  of  which 
one,  "  canescens,"  bears  blue  flowers  in  July  and  August. 
The  leaves  are  small,  like  locust  leaves,  in  pairs  of  leaf- 
lets. 

ANDBOMEDAS. — This  shrub  is  also  a  deciduous  tree  and 
also  an  evergreen,  both  tree  and  shrub.  Of  the  deciduous 
shrub  the  most  desirable  varieties  are  the  "  L.  racemosa," 
with  its  white  fragrant  flowers  in  June  and  July,  and  the 
"  L.  Mariana,''  with  pink-tinged  flowers  from  May  to 
August. 

AKALIA. — This  is  very  decorative  on  account  of  its 
large  leaves  and  luxuriant  growth.     It  has  been  called 
the  angelica-tree  and  also  the  Hercules  club,  the  latter 
name  from  its  annual  canes  that  resemble  thorny  clubs. 
7 


72  HOME  GROUNDS. 

ARBUTUS. — This  is  an  evergreen  with  drooping  red 
blossoms  as  late  as  December,  and  scarlet  fruit.  In  Eng- 
land this  shrub  becomes  a  trea  thirty  feet  high,  and  our 
"  A.  procera  "  variety  attains  twenty  feet. 

AZALEA. — This  is  one  of  the  earliest  blossoming  shrubs, 
and  one  of  the  most  beautiful.  There  are  more  than 
twenty  varieties  bearing  as  many  different  colored  blos- 
soms. 

BOXWOOD. — Who  ever  has  seen  an  old  colonial  garden 
must  remember  the  little  hedges  bordering  all  the  walks, 
but  these  are  not  the  natural  shrubs,  but  what  the  shears 
have  made  them.  The  small,  glossy  evergreen  leaves,  the 
dense  growth,  and  the  accommodating  character  of  box- 
wood, make  it  one  of  the  most  useful  of  shrubs. 

DAPHNE. — In  March,  before  any  leaves  appear,  the 
daphne  decks  itself  in  brilliant  red  blossoms.  There  is  a 
variety  that  blooms  in  November  and  December,  and  has 
larger  leaves  than  the  earlier  shrub.  The  only  objection 
to  the  daphne  is  that  its  leaves  and  berries  are  poisonous. 

DEUTZIA. — This  is  a  small  flowering  shrub,  originally 
from  Japan,  and  somewhat  like  the  syringa.  It  flowers 
in  June,  either  white  or  pink,  and  some  varieties  attain 
twelve  feet  in  height. 

DWARF  ALMOND. — This  is  a  small  shrub,  blooming  be- 
fore it  leafs  in  March,  when  the  dark-brown  twigs  are 
covered  with  rose-pink  blossoms.  The  leaves  are  like 
peach  leaves,  though  smaller,  and  the  shrub  has  no  value 
as  an  ornament  before  or  after  it  blooms. 


TREES,   ETC.  73 

HONEYSUCKLE. — This  is  one  of  the  sine  quibus  non  for 
all  gardens,  with  its  abundant  beautiful  foliage,  its  sweet 
blossoms,  and  its  early  habit.  There  are  many  varieties, 
but  none  finer  than  the  "  red  Tartarian." 

JASMINE. — 

u  The  deep  dark  green  of  whose  unvarnished  leaf 
Makes  more  conspicuous,  and  illumes  the  more, 
The  bright  profusion  of  her  scattered  stars." — Cowper. 

There  are  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  of  this  name,  all  more 
or  less  beautiful,  and  with  fragrant  blossoms,  some  va- 
rieties only  emitting  fragrance  at  night.  Of  the  shrubs 
there  are  those  that  bloom  from  May  to  October,  and 
those  that  bloom  from  June  to  August. 

LILAC. — This  familiar  shrub  is  as  indispensable  as  the 
honeysuckle.  Among  the  common  and  the  Persian  lilacs 
we  find  the  leaves  larger  or  smaller,  lighter  or  darker, 
glossy  or  velvet,  and  the  habit  bushy  or  upright,  but  all 
bear  beautiful  blossoms,  ranging  in  color  from  white 
through  all  shades  of  lavender  and  violet  to  a  deep  red 
purple.  The  "  rothmagensis "  is  considered  the  finest 
specimen. 

LAUKEL. — The  pink  and  white  flowering  mountain 
laurel,  which  grows  in  abundance  in  Berkshire,  has  been 
successfully  transplanted,  and  is  a  valuable  addition  to 
ornamental  vegetation  when  not  in  bloom  ;  its  rich,  glossy 
foliage  is  beautiful. 

KALMIA. — This  is  another  name  for  the  above,  which 


^  HOME  GROUNDS. 

is  found  not  only  in  Berkshire  and  similar  situations  in 
the  North,  but  is  common  in  the  Gulf  States. 

QUINCE. — This  little  tree  is  regarded  as  a  fruit-bearer, 
but  its  claims  to  being  classed  as  a  rich  ornament  will 
always  be  admitted  when  in  full  blossom,  or  when  its 
large  golden  fruit  is  ripe. 

ROSE. — Of  this  numerous  family  we  would  only  say 
that  some  members  can  be  considered  and  treated  as 
shrubs  with  charming  effect,  especially  if  massed  in  quan- 
tity and  well  selected  for  hardiness  and  color. 

SPIRAEA. — This  common  wild  shrub  has  justly  become 
a  favorite  for  its  many  colors,  both  of  leaves  and  flowers, 
according  to  the  variety  selected.  The  family  is  large ; 
"its  members  often  bear  little  resemblance  to  each  other, 
but  among  them  are  many  very  beautiful  flowering 
shrubs. 

STAPHTLIA. — As  a  rapid  grower  and  spreading  bush 
the  staphylia  is  very  useful ;  its  flowers  are  small  and 
white,  but  its  leaves  are  of  good  color  and  decoratively 
arranged  in  a  mass  that  is  often  twelve  feet  in  height. 

SYKINGA. — We  may  class  this  fragrant  shrub  with  the 
honeysuckle,  as  a  matter  of  course,  in  every  garden ;  and 
certainly  a  garden  like  Mr.  Longfellow's,  with  nothing 
but  a  mass  of  lilacs,  honeysuckle,  and  syringa  among  the 
old  elm-trees,  is  attractive  enough  without  rare  speci- 
mens. 

RHODODENDRON. — This  family  is  perhaps  the  richest  of 
flowering  shrubs ;  its  thick,  glossy,  large  leaves  are  a  fine 


TREES,  ETC.  75 

setting  for  its  clustered  flowers,  ranging  in  color  from 
white  to  pink,  yellow,  lilac,  crimson,  and  deep  purple. 
The  blooming  months  are  May  to  August. 

YiBUENUM.^-This  is  what  is  commonly  called  the 
snow-ball,  from  its  round  masses  of  white  June  flowers. 
The  shrub  is  showy  and  of  good  form,  but  we  are  inclined 
to  think  it  unimportant. 

WEIGELA. — Of  this  Japanese  shrub  we  have  already 
many  varieties,  and  they  have  many  qualities  to  recom- 
mend them.  The  flowers  appear  in  June,  and  are  either 
white,  pink,  or  red.  The  growth  is  rapid  and  bushy,  at- 
taining a  breadth  and  height  of  ten  feet. 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  only  attempted  to  suggest  a 
few  names  that  may  be  useful  in  carrying  out  such  effects 
as  we  have  described  from  time  to  time.  For  anything 
like  a  complete  list  of  shrubs  alone  would  require  more 
pages  than  we  have  devoted  to  our  whole  discussion,  and 
those  who  require  more  precise  and  copious  information 
must  turn  from  our  pages  to  more  scientific  works,  but 
in  our  lists  will  be  found  sufficient  material  to  produce 
almost  any  desired  result,  while  they  will  serve  as  a  basis 
for  more  extended  study.  We  shall  presently  give  the 
titles  of  a  few  works  that  we  can  recommend  to  those 
who  desire  to  go  deeper  in  all  or  any  of  the  questions 
that  are  touched  upon  in  these  pages,  as  this  small  work 
is  necessarily  little  more  than  an  introduction  to  a  num- 
ber of  scientific  studies. 


76  HOME  GROUNDS. 

VINES. 

BIRTIIWOET. — This  vine  is  invaluable  for  covering  tres- 
tle-work in  summer-houses  and  for  attaining  massive  ef- 
fects of  foliage;  it  twines  and  climbs  to  great  heights, 
bears  a  profusion  of  large  heart-shaped  leaves,  and  in 
May  and  June  blossoms  of  a  yellow-brown  color  shaped 
like  a  hook. 

BITTER-SWEET. — This  is  a  strong  climber,  capable  of 
killing  young  trees ;  bears  glossy,  pointed  leaves,  and  in 
June  violet  blossoms.  It  is,  however,  most  showy  in  au- 
tumn, when  the  berries  are  numerous,  of  a  deep  orange 
color. 

CLEMATIS. — There  are  a  dozen  or  more  varieties  of 
this  vine,  bearing  larger  or  smaller  leaves,  and  blossoms 
having  more  or  less  fragrance  and  size.  They  are  all  deli- 
cate and  beautiful  vines. 

EVEEGEEEN  IVY. — This  beautiful  vine  has  been  so 
often  celebrated  by  the  poets  and  is  so  familiar  as  to 
require  little  description.  It  does  not  survive  hot,  dry 
summers  nor  very  cold  winters,  but  can  be  protected  by 
northern  exposure  in  summer  and  by  straw  in  winter, 
though  it  never  attains  its  luxuriant  English  growth  in 
America. 

GEAPE. — The  grape-vine  has  been  used  to  cover,  or 
rather  imperfectly  conceal,  so  many  hideous  painted 
structures  that  its  beauties  have  not  been  fully  recog- 
nized in  America.  The  Clinton  and  the  Concord  vines 


TREES,   ETC.  77 

are  the  hardiest  and  most  serviceable  varieties  for  decora- 
tive purposes. 

HOP. — The  ordinary  hop-vine  is  one  of  the  most 
serviceable  of  decorative  vines,  on  account  of  its  rapid 
growth  and  the  facility  of  planting  from  cuttings  or 
seed.  The  leaves  are  much  like  miniature  grape  leaves — 
abundant  and  of  a  bright  light-green.  During  its  short 
life  of  four  or  five  months  it  will  climb  to  a  height  of 
forty  feet. 

TRUMPET. — This  familiar  creeper  is  mainly  valuable 
for  its  large  trumpet-shaped  orange  flowers  that  appear 
in  August  and  September.  It  has  the  same  faculty  as 
the  Virginia  Creeper  of  adhering  to  the  bark  of  trees  and 
walls. 

VIRGINIA  CREEPER. — This  is  at  once  one  of  the  most 
luxuriant  and  most  beautiful  of  all  vines,  growing  rapid- 
ly to  the  height  of  seventy  or  eighty  feet  in  less  than  ten 
years,  where  a  tree  or  tower  affords  a  foothold  for  its  in- 
numerable tendrils  and  roots. 

WOODBINE. — The  woodbine  is  properly  of  the  honey- 
suckle family,  of  which  there  are  many  fragrant  and 
beautiful  varieties.  The  flowers  of  the  woodbine  are 
most  showy,  being  deep  red  outside  and  buff  inside. 

WISTARIA. — Of  this  beautiful  vine  there  are  many 
varieties  with  blue  or  violet  flowers  appearing  in  the  com- 
monest sorts  from  July  to  September.  The  Chinese  Wis- 
taria grows  more  rapidly  than  almost  any  other  vine,  and 
is  thoroughly  hardy.  Most  astonishing  stories  are  told  of 


78  HOME  GROUNDS. 

old  vines  in  China  with  trunks  seven  feet  in  circumfer- 
ence, while  the  growth  extends  over  immense  areas  of 
trellis  and  buildings.  We  have  seen  instances  in  this 
country  that  inferentially  corroborate  these  statements, 
when  it  is  remembered  that  our  oldest  vines  can  not  boast 
more  than  forty  years. 

CREEPING  or  PROSTRATE  JUNIPER. — This  is  very  use- 
ful in  covering  rocks  with  a  deep,  soft  carpet.  It  is  an 
evergreen  and  a  rapid  grower,  presenting  various  shades 
of  warm  green  in  different  seasons,  but  requires  shade  for 
perfect  development. 

TRAILING  ARBUTUS. — This  is  a  very  beautiful  wild 
creeper,  growing  under  conditions  that  are  not  easily  pro- 
vided on  small  grounds  (moist,  deep  soil,  with  accumula- 
tions of  dead  leaves),  but  it  would  be  worth  much  trouble 
to  add  this  beautiful  pink-flowering,  sweet-scented  vine 
to  the  early  spring  attractions  of  our  grounds. 

The  foregoing  lists  have  been  inserted  merely  to  sug- 
gest what  a  judicious  choice  of  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines 
can  accomplish,  even  in  very  small  grounds,  at  all  sea- 
sons. We  have  only  thought  it  necessary  in  such  an  ele- 
mentary book  as  this  to  name  a  small  number  of  the  in- 
numerable varieties,  but  we  have  intended  to  select  such 
as  can  usually  be  provided,  and  such  as  are  the  most  ef- 
fective. A  comparison  of  the  peculiarities  and  habits  of 
the  trees,  shrubs,  and  vines  that  we  have  named  will  sug- 
gest the  idea  that  it  is  quite  possible  to  plant  a  garden 


TREES,   ETC.  79 

that  shall  assume  a  peculiar  and  attractive  appearance 
during  each  season.  In  this  art  of  landscape  gardening 
nature  will  provide  many  delightful  surprises  for  the  in- 
experienced if  only  a  fair  chance  for  development  is 
given  in  establishing  favorable  conditions,  and  without 
more  scientific  information  than  we  have  given  in  our 
early  chapters  these  conditions  can  easily  be  realized. 


VI. 

FENCES  AND   GATES. 

THE  various  ways  of  enclosing  grounds  are  as  numer- 
ous as  the  various  conditions  that  make  some  sort  of 
fence  or  barrier  desirable,  and  consequently  no  particular 
description  of  barrier  can  be  recommended  as  the  best  in 
all  cases. 

The  conditions  that  require  the  establishment  of  a 
fence,  a  wall,  a  hedge,  or  ditch,  with  or  without  an  earth- 
work or  parapet,  are  of  two  kinds,  viz.  :  conditions  re- 
sulting from  arrangements  within  the  grounds,  and  those 
resulting  externally.  These  two  kinds  can,  of  course,  be 
subdivided  into  practical  and  artistic  conditions  which 
are  not  always  easily  reconciled. 

In  well-ordered  populous  communities  no  barriers  are 
required  to  protect  the  gardens  from  the  inroads  of  stray- 
ing cattle,  while  in  many  summer  retreats  this  is  an  im- 
portant consideration  that  must  be  substantially  met  with 
stout  rails  or  stone  walls. 

Where  a  real  and  effective  barrier  is  necessary  for  the 
above  or  for  other  reasons,  a  dry  stone  wall  (built  with- 
out mortar)  is  at  once  the  most  durable  and  the  most 


FENCES  AND   GATES.  81 

practical  solution  of  the  problem,  and  no  objection  can 
be  made  to  it  on  the  ground  of  artistic  effect,  as,  if  well 
built  of  such  stones  as  the  region  affords,  it  is  in  itself  -a 
picturesque  object,  and  can  be  beautifully  clad  with  blos- 
soming vines,  making  a  pleasing  termination  to  the  lawn 
within,  and  an  interesting  wayside  spectacle  without. 
The  expense  of  building  a  wall  in  regular  masonry,  Math 
proper  cut  copings,  foundations,  etc.,  generally  precludes 
such  undertakings,  and,  except  in  cases  of  rare  occurrence, 
no  advantage  is  gained  by  them,  either  practically  or  ar- 
tistically ;  on  the  contrary,  the  most  thorough  masonry, 
exposed  on  both  sides  as  in  a  boundary  wall,  will  require 
repairs  from  time  to  time  to  prevent  the  inevitable 
effects  of  frost  from  disintegrating  the  construction ;  so 
that  it  is  not  only  much  more  costly  than  a  dry  wall,  but 
is  a  constant  source  of  annoyance  .  and  expense,  while 
it  does  not  afford  so  good  a  hold  for  vines  as  the  dry 
wall,  and  many  vines,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  ivy  and 
the  woodbine,  will  in  time  eat  out  the  mortar  joints. 
Where  public  highways  or  adjoining  property  is  on  a 
lower  level  than  the  enclosed  garden,  and  where  the 
nature  of  the  ground  or  other  conditions  make  a  natural 
slope  or  sodded  embankment  impracticable,  a  breast  or 
retaining  wall  is  unavoidable,  but  even  in  such  cases  a 
dry  wall  is,  for  many  of  the  reasons  already  stated, 
preferable  to  a  wall  of  masonry.  The  object  of  a  breast 
wall  is  to  retain  the  earth  in  position,  and  the  force  ex- 
erted against  it  tends  to  push  it  outward,  so  that  the  best 


82  SOME  GROUNDS. 

form  to  adopt  is  that  shown  in  the  annexed  cut,. Fig.  14, 
in  which  the  beds  of  the  courses  of  stone  are  shown  to 


incline  inward,  so  as  to  add  some  of  the  weight  of  the 
stones  to  the  resistance  of  the  wall,  on  top  of  which,  and 
on  the  level  of  the  grounds,  a  fence,  hedge,  or  additional 
wall  can  be  set  up  if  desired. 

Of  fences  the  choice  lies  between  wood  and  iron  of 
various  modes  of  construction  in  detail,  the  principle  of 
equidistant  posts  or  supports  secured  in  the  ground  being 
common  to  all  fences  of  whatever  material.  The  best 
fence  is  that  which  best  serves  its  purpose  at  the  least 
cost,  and  consequently  the  palm  must  be  given  to  the 
rustic  fence,  which  is  as  durable  as  any  other,  not  more 
expensive  at  the  outset,  and  does  not  require  painting 
from  time  to  time,  as  all  other  fences  do,  while  it  is  of 
an  agreeable  color,  and  readily  lends  itself  to  the  scheme 
of  a  good  design.  The  proper  height  for  a  fence  is  a 
question  to  be  determined  by  the  peculiarities  of  each 


FENCES  AND   GATES. 


83 


case.  For  tlie  ordinary  purpose  of  a  barrier,  four  feet 
six  is  high  enough,  but,  if  a  screen  is  required,  less  than 
seven  feet  is  of  little  service  ;  of  course  the  higher  the 
fence  the  more  frequent  must  be  the  posts,  and  the 
deeper  they  must  be  sunk,  so  that  additional  height  is 
more  than  proportionally  expensive. 

As  to  the  design  of  a  fence,  the  first  requisites  are 
strength  and  durability ;  nothing  can  add  to  the  beauty 


of  a  design  that  does  not  serve  some  definite  purpose ; 
the  various  systems  of  bracing  a  frame  afford  ample  op- 
portunity for  effective  treatment  without  adding  useless 


g^  HOME  GROUNDS. 

members  with  the  delusive  intention  of  ornamenting  the 
construction,  which  should,  and  can  easily,  be  in  itself 
ornamental.  Figs.  15,  16,  and  17  are  suggestions  for 


FIG.  16. 

fences  that  may  serve  to  show  how  innumerable  are  the 
forms  that  can  be  arranged  in  bracing  and  tying  the  top 
and  bottom  rails  that  must  exist  in  all  fences. 

If  for  some  reason  the  rustic  fence  is  undesirable,  and 
a  more  or  less  elaborate  piece  of  carpenter  work  is  to  be 
indulged  in,  few  better  treatments  can  be  devised  than 
is  suggested  in  Fig.  18,  a  more  or  less  faithful  portrait  of 
an  old  colonial  fence  still  standing  near  Portsmouth,  N. 
II. — still  standing  because  the  builders  were  wise  enough 
to  use  nothing  but  locust  wood  in  the  construction ;  and, 
though  locust  is  among  the  more  expensive  woods,  it 
pays  best  in  the  end,  and  requires  no  paint,  which  can 
never  give  the  fine  color  and  beautiful  texture  that  the 
wood  assumes  when  exposed. 


FENCES  AND   GATES. 


85 


Of  iron  fences  the  lightest  wire  description  is  often 
useful  between  two  gardens,  as  it  is  almost  invisible  and 
enables  neighbors  to  reciprocally  lend  larger  effects  than 
either  could  realize  if  the  dividing  line  is  determined  by 
a  conspicuous  barrier.  Even  the  iron  fence  is,  in  many 


FIG.  17. 

localities,  entirely  dispensed  with,  a  community  of  gar- 
dens being  formed  within  certain  limits.  In  this  way  all 
participants  enjoy  a  real  park  at  much  lighter  cost  indi- 
vidually than  they  could  keep  up  the  appearance  of  small 
gardens.  By  comparatively  small  contributions  to  a 
common  fund  a  competent  corps  of  gardeners  can  be  em- 
ployed, and,  if  the  paths,  roadways,  and  planting  are 
cleverly  managed,  the  views  from  the  most  important 
points  on  each  property  embrace  what  appears  to  be  an 
extended  pleasure  ground,  without  a  suggestion  of  mere 
shareholding.  Of  course  it  may  be  objected  that  this  is 
an  ostentatious  advantage,  and  that  a  man  should  not  de- 
sire to  appear  to  live  beyond  his  means,  but  there  is 


86  HOME  GROUNDS. 

another  view  of  the  matter ;  from  the  nature  of  the  case 
there  is  and  can  be  no  deception  r.s  to  the  facts,  and  it  is 


FIG.  18. 


certainly  better  for  the  several  owners,  for  their  visitors, 
and  for  the  passer-by,  that  there  should  exist  a  single  and 
effective  scheme  of  improvement  in  which  the  houses 
are  so  situated  and  designed  as  to  form  additional  points 
of  interest  in  a  picturesque  sense,  rather  than  that,  for 
the  small  and  unimportant  purpose  of  gauging  each 
owner's  limited  domain,  and  inferentially  his  means,  there 
should  exist  a  number  of  contiguous  pens  more  or  less 
successfully  subdivided  and  adorned. 

The  sense  of  landlordism  is  one  that  is  so  dear  to 
some  people  that  no  benefit  to  themselves  or  others  could 
pursuade  them  to  dispense  with  clearly- defined  boundaries 
to  any  land  they  may  be  possessed  of ;  and,  even  in  locali- 
ties where  land  is  not  worth  a  hundred  dollars  an  acre, 
men  can  be  found  who  will  spend  years  of  their  lives 
and  many  times  the  value  of  their  property  in  litiga- 


FENCES  AND   GATES.  87 

tion  over  the  setting  of  a  fence  one  foot  farther  north  or 
south. 

Where  fences  are  a  necessity,  there  is  seldom  a  good 
reason  for  uniformity  of  design  in  the  fences  on  all  sides ; 
on  the  contrary,  the  conditions  existing  toward  different 
points  of  the  compass  would  naturally  suggest  as  many 
styles  of  fencing,  hedges,  or  walls,  as  there  are  bound- 
ary lines ;  in  fact,  the  greatest  variety  in  this  respect  is 
often  desirable,  both  practically  and  artistically,  even  to 
building  a  wall  twenty  feet  high  on  one  side,  while  on 
another  no  stronger  limitation  than  a  trimly-kept  walk 
may  exist.  Many  beautiful  things  may  adorn  the  adjoin- 
ing acres  which  we  would  like  to  avail  ourselves  of  in 
perspective,  if  it  were  not  that  they  are  accompanied  by 
other  things  more  or  less  disgusting.  This  is  often  the 
case  with  large  trees,  in  whose  shade  hovels  arid  pig-pens 
have  accumulated.  In  such  cases  a  high  wall,  vine-clad 
within,  at  once  shuts  out  the  revolting  spectacle  below, 
and  adds  a  certain  mysterious  interest  to  the  trees  above, 
especially  if  we  provide  a  postern-door  in  our  wall,  which 
can  be  made  a  very  suggestive  feature,  especially  to  those 
who  are  jealous  of  privacy.  In  this  particular  Ameri- 
cans are  peculiar,  in  comparison  with  Englishmen.  The 
latter  is  never  happier  than  in  owning  a  square  mile,  with 
his  house  in  the  middle ;  and,  when  his  property  is  bounded 
by  the  highway,  he  prefers  to  have  a  barrier  so  high  that 
no  passer  can  form  any  opinion  of  what  exists  within. 
Americans,  on  the  contrary,  concern  themselves  rather 


88  HOME  GROUNDS. 

too  much  with  outward  appearances,  and  are  as  anxious 
that  their  places  should  look  attractive  from  the  public 
highway  as  they  are  of  being  able  to  see  from  their  veran- 
das or  porches  all  that  transpires  beyond  their  domains. 
This  question  of  indifference  or  sensitiveness  to  the  pub- 
lic gaze  is  one  for  ench  man  to  decide  for  himself,  but  we 
can  at  least  expect  that  whatever  is  set  up  as  a  screen 
shall  not  be  a  hideous  barren  spot  on  the  roadside.  When 
a  man  can  afford,  for  selfish  reasons,  to  build  a  high  wall 
on  the  roadside,  he  can  at  least  make  as  much  concession 
to  public  taste  as  to  build  eomething  not  more  unin- 
teresting on  the  outside  than  the  wall  suggested  in  Fig. 
19,  in  which  there  is  economy  of  material  as  compared 
with  an  unbroken  dead  surface,  the  piers  really  doing  the 
work  while  the  intermediate  curtains  perform  the  office 
of  screens.  This  idea  can  be  developed  to  almost  any  ex- 
tent, so  that  the  spaces  or  panels  between  the  piers  may 
be  made  to  accommodate  seats,  and,  by  an  over-hanging 
coping  or  roof,  these  become  shelters  that  are  philan- 
thropic institutions  outside  and  picturesque  garden  fea- 
tures within.  Such  an  arrangement  is  suggested  in  Fig.  20, 
and  though,  as  shown,  it  would  be  a  costly  wall  to  build, 
much  of  the  same  general  effect  can  be  realized  in  sim- 
pler ways ;  such,  for  instance,  as  building  a  low  w7all,  and 
carrying  up  a  close  trellis-work  above  in  wood,  and  cov- 
ering thickly  with  such  vines  as  woodbine, Virginia  creeper, 
bitter-sweet,  etc. — in  short,  such  as  wrill  soon  form  a  close 
network  of  twigs  and  tendrils  that  fill  the  apertures  of 


FENCES  AND   GATES.  89 

the  trellis  even  in  winter,  and  become  dense  and  lux- 
uriant in  summer.  Among  the  most  practically  effective 
screens  and  barriers  is  a  close  hedge-row  of  arbor-vitae, 
with  a  complete  system  of  large  wires  concealed  in  the 
foliage,  and  stretched  in  their  whole  length  from  occa- 
sional iron  bars  or  rods  set  in  flat  stones  and  also  concealed 
in  the  he.dge.  Upon  this  hedge  all  manner  of  vines  may 
be  allowed  to  grow,  and  while  both  sides  are  picturesque, 
the  screen  is  as  complete  as  any  wall  could  be — to  say 
nothing  of  the  advantages  in  economy  at  the  outset,  and 
the  absence  of  all  repairs. 

The  gateway  being  the  point  of  interest  in  any  fence, 
is  necessarily  the  controlling  idea  in  designing  the  fence, 
and  we  should  have  discussed  gates  before  enlarging 
upon  fences,  were  it  not  that  gates  are  much  more  diffi- 
cult things  to  treat  successfully,  and  much  that  we  have 
said  of  fences  simplifies  and  elucidates  what  we  would 
say  of  gates.  From  the  simple  turnstile  to  such  elabo- 
rate and  costly  undertakings  as  the  one  depicted  in  our 
frontispiece,  there  is  sufficient  scope  to  meet  every  possi- 
ble condition,  and  any  complete  discussion  of  the  subject, 
illustrating  the  innumerable  ingenious  and  beautiful  ex- 
amples that  exist,  would  fill  a  larger  volume  than  this,  so 
that  we  must  content  ourselves  with  describing  a  few  de- 
signs, and  explaining  the  principles  that  they  illustrate. 
In  Figs.  15,  16,  17,  18,  and  20,  five  different  gates  are 
shown,  adapted  to  the  peculiarities  of  each  case,  but 
in  reality  the  gates  are  in  every  instance,  except  Fig.  20, 


90 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


the  key-note,  and  the  fences  are  designed  in  accordance. 
It  is  comparatively  easy  to  design  a  good  fence,  because 


FIG. 


its  first  principle  is  immobility,  while  a  gate  must  not 
only  be  strong  and  durable,  but  must  readily  perform  its 
office  of  opening  and  shutting.  Every  one  is  familiar 
with  the  old  country  methods  of  a  chain  and  ball  whose 
weight  closes  the  gate,  and  also  of  the  older  method  of 
dispensing  with  hinges,  and  prolonging  the  top  rail  to  re- 
ceive a  weight  of  stone,  so  that  the  gate  balances  on  one 
post,  and,  when  once  lifted,  can  be  swung  round  on  a 
pivot.  The  practical  objections  to  these  primitive  meth- 
ods are  several,  but  mainly  that  they  both  demand  the 


FENCES  AND   GATES.  91 

exercise  of  more  or  less  physical  force,  and  in  the  case 
of  the  ball  and  chain  the  necessity  of  holding  the  gate 
open  until  one  is  fairly  beyond  the  reach  of  its  jaws,  in 
going  out  to  avoid  being  caught,  and  on  entering  to 
avoid  being  fairly  kicked  into  the  garden.  Another  ob- 
jection to  the  ball  and  chain  is  that  the  gate  is  necessarily 
made  to  swing  outward,  and  one  is  obliged  to  unlatch 
the  gate  and  then  move  backward  until  the  opening  is 


large  enough  to  enter ;  the  same  difficulty  would  be  ex- 
perienced in  going  out,  if  the  gate  swings  the  other  way, 
so  that  it  is  necessary  to  have  it  hung  to  swing  in  both 
directions.  The  usual  solution  of  this  problem  is  to  hang 
the  gate  on  a  single  pivot  at  top  and  on  a  double  bearing 


92  HOME  GROUNDS. 

below,  so  that  the  point  of  rest  or  gravity  is  only  attained 
when  the  gate  is  shut.  One  of  the  objections  to  this 
method  is  the  facility  of  unshipping  the  gate,  which 
constitutes  a  standing  temptation  to  mischievous  boys; 
another  is  the  annoyance  of  hearing  the  prolonged  gyra- 
tions backward  and  forward  whenever  any  one  passes 
through. 

As  most  people  are  as  unlikely  to  shut  a  gate  as  a 
door  after  them,  some  automatic  provision  is  desirable, 
and  we  believe  that  nothing  more  satisfactory  can  well 
be  devised  than  an  adaptation  of  the  old-fashioned  turn- 
stile for  foot-passenger  gates,  while  for  carriage  entrances 
we  have  yet  to  see  any  really  satisfactory  automatic  ar- 
rangement. The  adaptation  of  the  turnstile  is  shown 
in  Fig.  15,  and  in  Fig.  16  the  canopy  above  admits  of 
the  simple  expedient  of  lines  and  pullies,  the  weight  on 
the  lines  being  just  sufficient  to  counterbalance  the  gate, 
and  insure  a  slow  return  to  its  closed  position.  This  is 
an  adaptation  of  the  old  ball-and-chain  idea  without  some 
of  its  disadvantages,  and  can  easily  be  applied  to  large 
carriage-gates.  If  it  were  not  for  accumulations  of  ice 
and  snow  in  winter,  the  automatic-rod  arrangement 
would  be  more  satisfactory  than  any  other.  This  con- 
sists of  a  rod  connection  with  the  roadway  some  twenty 
feet  distant  on  each  side  of  the  entrance,  so  that  the 
wheel  of  the  approaching  vehicle  passes  over  an  elbow, 
and  causes  a  quarter  revolution  of  the  crank  at  the  gate- 
post, the  reverse  action  on  the  other  side  closing  the  gate 


FENCES  AND   GATES.  93 

when  the  carriage  has  passed  through  and  runs  over  the 
other  elbow.  For  places  only  occupied  in  summer  this 
is  entirely  satisfactory,  but  in  winter  it  requires  as  much 
care  to  keep  the  action  in  working  order  as  to  open  the 
gate  by  hand.  A  litch-gate,  such  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  16, 
can  be  well  arranged  to  hang  from  above,  and  run  on  a 
track  and  wheels  like  a  barn-door,  and  this  offers  oppor- 
tunities for  picturesque  treatment,  as  the  whole  construc- 
tion is  pendent,  and  the  usual  reasons  for  tieing  and  brac- 
ing are  changed  from  cross  strains  into  tensile  strains. 

For  entrances  to  chicken  yards  and  such  other  enclos- 
ures, where  the  convenience  of  visitors  is  not  to  be  con- 
sidered, the  old-fashioned  stile  has  many  advantages  in 
being  to  all  but  human  animals  as  effective  a  barrier  as 
the  fence  or  wall  itself.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  add, 
after  all  that  has  been  said,  that  it  is  seldom  advisable  to 
fence  off  any  portion  of  a  garden  from  the  rest,  unless  in 
the  cases  of  a  kitchen  garden  or  a  chicken  run,  and  for 
this  purpose  a  dense  hedge  is  at  once  more  serviceable 
and  more  attractive,  with  such  openings  as  may  be  neces- 
sarily cut  through,  and  filled  with  a  rustic  gate.  For 
such  hedges  the  arbor-vitse,  already  mentioned,  is  as  satis- 
factory as  any  growth,  but,  if  it  has  been  used  elsewhere 
on  the  boundaries  of  the  place,  it  is  better  to  have  a  va- 
riety of  effect  by  using  such  shrubs  as  the  Newcastle 
and  Washington  thorns,  the  buckthorn,  the  Osage  orange, 
or  the  privet.  Of  course,  there  is  no  limit  to  the  variety 
of  beautiful  effects  that  can  be  attained  by  mingling  vari- 


91  HOME  GROUNDS. 

ous  shrubs  in  one  hedge,  and  growing  vines  of  all  sorts 
over  the  whole  mass  of  foliage.  In  planting  a  hedge- 
row there  is  seldom  any  necessity  for  adhering  to  an  un- 
broken straight  line  in  plan  on  both  sides,  and  many  rich 
effects  of  light  and  shade  can  be  realized  by  adopting  a 
varied  line,  tortuous  and  angular,  making  the  hedge  pre- 
sent the  appearance  of  a  few  rich  clumps  of  shrubbery 
connected  by  hedge-rows.  To  many  people1  a  clipped 
formal  hedge,  as  nearly  as  possible  like  a  green  wall,  is 
particularly  handsome,  and  we  do  not  say  that  it  has  not 
many  advantages  under  certain  conditions ;  but,  in  gen- 
eral, we  do  not  believe  in  substituting  geometric  or  other 
artificial  forms  for  the  natural  graces  of  vegetation. 
This  artificial  treatment  is  distinctly  different  from  judi- 
cious pruning  and  training,  to  prevent  trees,  shrubs,  and 
vines  from  developing  some  unhappy  tendency  that 
would  defeat  the  efforts  we  make  to  achieve  certain 
picturesque  results  well  within  the  bounds  of  natural  de- 
velopment. 


vn. 
SUMMER-HOUSES,   SHELTERS,  ETC. 

THE  uses  of  summer-houses  and  of  shelters  are  at 
least  four :  1st,  to  protect  one  from  the  sun  while  sitting 
out  of  doors  without  hat  or  umbrella ;  2d,  to  enable  one 
to  enjoy  whatever  breeze  may  be  stirring  from  any  quar- 
ter, not  felt  on  the  veranda  owing  to  the  position  of  the 
house ;  3d,  to  mark  the  most  advantageous  points  of  view 
that  the  gardens  or  the  surrounding  country  can  be  seen 
from  ;  and,  4th,  to  embellish  the  grounds  with  forms  and 
colors  unattainable  in  planting.  Therefore,  the  design 
and  the  position  of  these  structures  are  not  to  be  arbi- 
trarily determined,  but  are  a  part  of  the  scheme  of  im- 
provement, and  are  suggested  by  its  conditions.  In  very 
small  gardens  it  is  questionable  whether  it  is  ever  desir- 
able to  erect  any  artificial  structure  besides  the  house,  be- 
cause an  extremely  small  summer-house  is  very  nearly 
useless,  and  a  large  one  dwarfs  the  premises.  It  is  better 
in  such  cases  to  design  the  gateway  as  a  shelter,  and  pro- 
vide seats  on  each  side  ;  in  this  way  importance  is  given 
'to  the  entrance,  and  the  shelter  encumbers  the  garden  as 
little  as  possible  ;  of  course,  in  many  localities  the  public 


96  HOME  GROUNDS. 

street  is  too  much  frequented,  and  becomes  too  dusty  to 
make  such  an  arrangement  agreeable,  but  where  these 
objections  do  not  exist  it  is  the  best  compromise  we 
know  of.  "We  have  seen  all  manner  of  fancies  indulged 
in  summer-houses,  from  the  rudest  rustic  shelter  to  the 
most  elaborate  models  of  the  Tower  of  the  Winds  or 
the  choragic  monument  of  Lysicrates  executed  in  marble, 
and  while  grottoes  and  miniature  temples  have  a  certain 
place  in  the  artificial  garden  about  a  renaissance  palace 
or  chateau,  they  are  utterly  incongruous  in  such  under- 
takings as  this  volume  treats  of. 

Where  a  natural  formation  presents  a  picturesque  op- 
portunity, we  would  in  almost  all  cases  take  advantage 
of  it,  and  even  enhance  its  effect  by  any  means  at  com- 
mand, but  we  would  under  no  circumstances  attempt  to 
manufacture  a  freak  of  nature.  In  designing  summer- 
houses,  nothing  is  gained  by  attempting  to  make  the 
structure  look  as  if  it  grew  as  we  have  fashioned  it ; 
first,  because  such  attempts  are  futile,  and,  second,  be- 
cause one  of  the  beauties  of  a  good  design  of  this  sort 
is  its  ingenious,  thoughtful  construction  in  the  midst  of 
natural  forms. 

Good  summer-houses  can  be  built  by  any  country 
carpenter  out  of  any  saplings  that  may  be  at  hand,  but 
the  best  and  most  durable  are  built  of  cedar  with  the 
bark  left  on.  Occasionally  a  few  trees,  notably  apple- 
trees,  may  be  found  in  such  relative  positions  that  it  is' 
possible  to  make  them  the  main  lines  of  a  summer-house, 


SUMMER-HOUSES,   SHELTERS,   ETC. 


97 


and  without  injuring  the  trees.  Observatories  can  often 
be  well  managed  in  old  trees,  especially  such  as  are  dead 
at  the  top,  their  bald  heads  offering  many  forks  in  which 
to  rest  the  logs  for  the  staging  or  floor  of  the  look-out. 


"\vTl4<XWAM    SHELTER 

FIG.  21. 

Wells  and  springs  may  very  properly  be  made  an  ex- 
cuse for  rustic  structures,  and  the  opportunities  for  em- 
bellishment become  inexhaustible  with  the  assistance  of 
blossoming  vines ;  though  it  should  always  be  remem- 


08 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


bered  that,  however  decorative  and  fragrant  vines  may  be, 
they  harbor  insects  of  all  sorts,  including  mosquitoes,  so 
that  generally  a  place  to  sit  in,  either  a  summer-house 
or  a  veranda,  is  more  comfortable  without  them.  Any 
spot  that  is  exposed  to  a  fair  breeze  can  not  be  infested 
with  mosquitoes,  as  these  pests  are  very  weak  on  the 
wing,  and  can  only  indulge  their  sanguinary  tastes  in 
sheltered  places  or  on  motionless  days. 

Of  the  countless  summer-houses  in  existence,  some  of 
the  best  specimens  are  to  be  found  in  the  New  York 


FIG.  22. 


Central  Park  and  in  the  Brooklyn  Prospect  Park.  By 
the  kind  permission  of  Mr.  Yaux  we  are  enabled  to  give 
an  illustration  of  the  sort  of  thing  we  refer  to,  Fig.  24-, 
in  which  by  very  simple  means  a  very  happy  result  has 


SUMMER-HOUSES,   SHELTERS,  ETC. 


99 


been  achieved.  The  structures  illustrated  in  Figs.  21,  22, 
and  23  require  no-  special  comment,  being  all  rough 
sketches  of  shelters  erected  by  the  author  at  various 
places.  In  Fig.  23,  the  upper  portion  is  designed  for  a 
bird-house,  and  is  now  inhabited  by  a  large  and  quarrel- 
some family  of  sparrows,  who,  to  a  great  extent,  have 
obviated  the  nuisance  of  insects  among  the  vines  that 


FIG.  23. 


climb  the  screen  on  one  side  toward  the  southwest,  so 
that  a  shady  nook  is  provided  for  the  summer  afternoons, 
commanding  an  extended  view  of  a  Berkshire  valley  on 


100 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


the  southeast.  The  upper  portion  of  Fig.  21  could  easily 
be  used,  with  a  fsw  additional  sticks,  for  a  bird-house, 
without  altering  its  wigwam  character ;  on  the  contrary, 


FIG.  24. 


SUMMER-HOUSES,   SHELTERS,   ETC.  101 

such  addition  would  improve  it,  and  mitigate  its  ex- 
tremely primitive  and  rudimentary  expression. 

Where  a  seat  is  desirable  without  a  shelter  or  sum- 
mer-house, we  do  not  think  that  the  picturesque  effect 
of  rustic  work  in  so  small  a  matter  compensates  for  the 
almost  inevitable  discomfort  of  the  seat,  and  we  would 
advise  the  employment  of  more  carefully  devised  car- 
penter-work, resulting  in  more  comfort,  and  not  neces- 
sarily in  less  artistic  effect.  There  can  be  no  objection,  in 
such  small  objects  as  settees  or  chairs,  to  employing  well- 
selected  colors,  and  painting  them  in  rich  reds  or  warm 
sienna  tones ;  in  fact,  some  such  spot  of  color  is  often  as 
much  needed  in  a  landscape  as  in  a  picture,  only  let  us, 
like  the  painter,  try  to  put  it  in  the  right  place,  and  as 
nearly  as  possible  of  the  right  tone.  This  matter  of 
tone  or  balance  of  color  enters  in  some  form  into  all  arts, 
and  while  there  are  some  favored  few  whom  nature  has 
endowed  with  delicate  senses,  and  who  have  trained  their 
perception  till  it  has  become  an  unerring  instinct,  most 
people  are  in  this  respect  a  good  deal  like  the  two  boys 
of  whom  their  mother  said,  "John!  he  don't  know 
nothing,  but  Henry,  he  does  "  ;  so  that  it  is  difficult  to  say 
which  knew  the  most. 

The  whole  matter  of  seats,  shelters,  summer-houses, 
and  trellis-work  can  so  easily  be  overdone,  giving  a  place 
a  crowded  and  uneasy  effect,  that  we  are  inclined  to 
advise  their  use  only  when  their  absence  is  a  manifest 
inconvenience  or  artistic  omission. 


vm. 
CHICKENS  AND  CHICKEN-HOUSES. 

FOB  all  that  may  be  said  of  the  nuisance  of  crowing 
cocks,  it  is  always  our  neighbor's  cock  that  disturbs  our 
morning's  doze,  and  there  is  an  undeniable  luxury  in 
breakfast-eggs  that  are  above  suspicion,  which  the  city 
denizen  rarely  enjoys.  Many  householders  in  the  sub- 
urbs and  in  the  country  would  devote  some  portion  of 
their  gardens  and  their  time  to  the  maintenance  and  care 
of  chickens,  if  there  were  apparently  any  reliable  propor- 
tion between  the  number  of  chickens  and  the  supply  of 
eggs ;  but  where  chickens  are  not  properly  cared  for,  and 
allowed  to  range  about,  they  become  cackling,  crowing, 
and  unprofitable  marauders,  whose  ravages  keep  a  small 
garden  in  an  unsightly  condition.  Although  this  chapter 
is  devoted  to  a  discussion  hardly  in  accordance  with  the 
title  of  the  book,  and  in  no  particular  consequent  on  any 
of  the  preceding,  we  believe  that  such  advice  as  we  have 
to  offer  may  not  come  unwelcomely  to  many  of  our  read- 
ers, who  would  gladly  avail  themselves  of  the  luxury  of 
fresh  eggs  from  their  own  hens,  if  they  were  not  deterred 
by  the  fear  of  the  annoyances  to  which  we  have  alluded, 


CHICKENS  AND   CHICKEN-HOUSES.  103 

and  by  the  expectation  that  in  the  winter  the  chickens 
must  be  killed  and  cooked,  in  order  to  gerany  food  out 
of  them. 

We  should  not  expect  much  of  a  cow  who  picked  up 
a  precarious  living  by  browzing  about  where  there  is  little 
or  nothing  to  be  found  suited  to  her  wants ;  and  it  is  not 
less  unreasonable  to  expect  chickens,  with  their  voracious 
habits,  to  keep  on  laying  eggs,  unless  they  are  in  a  condi- 
tion to  do  so.  Nor  is  the  question  one  of  mere  quantity 
and  quality  of  food,  but  of  shelter ;  and,  in  short,  such 
provisions  as  shall  insure  health  and  felicity. 

The  first  requirement  of  health,  and  consequent  pro- 
ductiveness in  chickens,  is  freedom  from  the  vermin  that 
infest  an  old  chicken-house. 

Second.  Proper  food  according  to  the  season  of  tho 
year,  or,  rather,  the  prevailing  temperature. 

Third.  The  necessary  facilities  for  exercise,  and  for 
protection  from  sharp  winds  and  cold  rains  when  out  of 
doors. 

Fourth.  Companionship  and  esprit  de  corps  in  a  suffi- 
cient number  of  cocks  and  hens ;  for,  curious  as  it  may 
seem,  no  regular  supply  of  eggs  can  be  counted  on  from 
three  or  four  chickens,  however  well  provided  for ;  in 
fact,  the  introduction  of  strangers  is  often  found  to  be 
beneficial. 

The  first  requirement  can  only  be  adequately  met  by 
providing  two  chicken-houses,  which  may  be,  if  com- 
pletely separated,  under  one  roof.  The  chickens  should 


104:  HOME  GROUNDS. 

never  be  permitted  to  live  in  one  house  for  more  than 
three  weeks  at  a  time ;  and,  when  they  are  turned  out, 
the  place  should  be  well  cleaned  and  thoroughly  white- 
washed, so  that  at  the  expiration  of  each  term  a  fresh, 
clean  house  is  ready  to  receive  them. 

The  second  requirement  of  food  is  easily  provided  by 
giving  the  usual  grain  in  summer,  and  in  winter  utilizing 
the  refuse  of  the  kitchen,  especially  scraps  of  meat  and 
fat,  potato  parings,  and  such  dainties  as  pigs  find  appetiz- 
ing. In  summer  all  the  necessary  animal  food  is  pro- 
vided by  nature,  but  in  winter  chickens  will  not  perform 
their  duty  to  their  owners  with  any  regularity,  if  unpro- 
vided with  carbon  in  some  form,  and  a  greater  variety  of 
food  than  grains. 

The  third  requirement  of  facilities  for  exercise  is  mere- 
ly a  question  of  space,  allotted,  where  the  chickens  are  not 
allowed  to  roam  at  pleasure ;  and  in  this  matter  it  is  not 
only  desirable  that  the  chicken-run,  as  it  is  usually  called, 
should  be  large,  considering  the  number  of  chickens,  but 
that  there  should  be  two — one  on  each  side  of  the  chicken- 
house — so  that  there  may  be  some  opportunity  for  nature 
and  man  to  recuperate  the  premises  for  three  weeks  at  a 
time,  as  in  the  case  of  the  house  itself.  Protection  from 
wind  and  rain  can  be  provided  by  building  one  end  of  the 
chicken-house  for  a  few  feet  above  ground  of  brick,  and 
bringing  down  the  roof-slope  to  form  a  shelter  toward 
the  south,  so  that  in  cold  or  wet  weather  the  chickens 
can  huddle  together  and  keep  warm  without  staying  in 


CHICKENS  AND   CHICKEN-HOUSES. 


105 


the  house,  and  on  bright  winter  days  can  bask  in  the  sun 
with  some  reflection  from  the  brick-work,  and  without 
being  exposed  to  cold  winds.  The  ground  under  this 
shelter  should  slope  outward,  so  as  to  drain  dry,  and 
should  be  covered  with  fine  gravel  to  aid  in  processes  of 
digestion. 

These  various  requirements,  as  stated,  suggest  a  much 
more  expensive  undertaking  than  is  at  all  necessary  to 
realize  them.  Fig.  25  is  a  diagram  of  such  a  chicken- 


CHICKEN  RUN 


CHICKEN  HOUSE 


CHICKEN  House 


CHICKEN  RUN 


SHELTER.        SHELT 


FIG.  25. 


house  as  we  would  advise,  the  dispositions  remaining  the 
same  whatever  the  dimensions.  Fig.  26  is  an  external 
view  of  the  same,  in  which  we  have,  for  the  purpose  of 
attaining  some  picturesque  effect,  added  a  dove-cot  above, 


106 


SOME   GROUNDS. 


which  is,  however,  no  necessary  part  of  the  scheme  as  re- 
gards the  chickens. 


FIG.  26. 

In  regard  to  the  general  care  of  chickens,  it  is  well  to 
allow  them  to  run  far  and  wide  for  a  time  every  day,  be- 
cause it  enables  them  to  seek  out  and  devour  the  early 
worm,  if  he  is  foolish  enough  to  remain  near  the  surface, 
while  it  gives  them  a  change  of  scene,  and  exercise  that  is 
healthful. 

This  daily  ramble  need  not  be  a  source  of  annoyance 
or  a  cause  of  damage  to  the  garden,  if  it  is  indulged  in  at 
the  proper  time.  The  gates  of  the  chicken-run  should  be 
opened  at  night  after  all  the  chickens  have  gone  to  roost, 
so  that  they  may  find  their  way  out  at  dawn,  and  be 
easily  recalled  at  a  regular  feeding-time  an  hour  or  two 
later,  which  time  they  learn  to  expect,  and  come  running 
from  all  quarters  at  the  first  call. 


CHICKENS  AND   CHICKEN-HOUSES.  107 

In  the  interior  of  chicken-houses  the  necessary  fittings 
are  extremely  simple,  but  should  be  constructed  and  dis- 
posed with  due  reference  to  the  natural  inclinations  of 
the  chickens  and  of  such  animals  as  are  likely  to  molest 
them.  On  these  and  other  considerations,  it  is  well  to 
arrange  the  nests,  for  laying  on  shelves  so  high  that  a  tall 
man  can  just  reach  them  to  look  for  eggs.  With  these 
shelves  one  or  two  perches  or  roosting-poles  may  con- 
nect, and  there  should  be  enough  space  in  front  of  or  be- 
hind the  nests  for  a  hen  to  walk  from  end  to  end.  The 
nests  should  be  divided  by  partitions,  but  do  not  require 
to  be  covered,  as  they  are,  as  described,  sufficiently  near 
the  roof  to  be  sheltered  by  it. 

The  necessary  ties  of  the  roof  frame  can  be  made  to 
answer  for  perches  or  roosting-poles,  and  a  few  at  right 
angles  with  these  and  resting  upon  them  will  generally 
provide  ample  accommodation.  Mere  sapling  poles,  such 
as  are  used  for  bean-poles,  are  not  desirable  for  perches, 
because  the  bark  harbors  vermin  in  its  interstices  which 
are  not  easily  exterminated,  especially  the  eggs,  which 
will  hatch  out  in  spite  of  cleaning  and  whitewashing. 

A  long  pole  sufficiently  pliable  to  bend  slightly  under 
the  weight  of  one  chicken,  and  provided  with  small  cross- 
sticks  at  regular  short  intervals,  should  be  set  up  to  form 
a  sort  of  ladder  escape  from  an  aperture  in  the  roof  at 
the  end  of  some  perch,  in  order  to  provide  a  recreation 
for  the  cocks,  who  delight  in  swaying  up  and  down  on 

such  a  contrivance,  which  is  indicated  in  Fig.  26.     We 
10 


108  HOME  GROUNDS. 

have  seen  as  many  as  three  cocks  at  one  time  on  a  spring 
morning  disporting  themselves  on  the  same  pole,  and 
apparently  acting  in  concert  to  increase  the  oscillations. 
Chickens  are  a  good  deal  like  other  animals,  including 
the  bifurcated  human  species ;  they  behave  pretty  well 
when  they  have  everything  to  suit  them,  but  when,  on 
the  contrary,  they  are  ill  housed,  ill  fed,  and  subjected  to 
all  sorts  of  dangers  and  inconveniences,  they  are  as  un- 
happy as  we  should  be,  similarly  situated,  and  may  be 
more  readily  excused  from  doing  their  duty,  as  they 
have,  when  domesticated,  little  or  no  power  of  bettering 
their  condition 

We  have  only  to  add  to  this  short  discussion  of  a 
large  subject  that  a  terrier  dog  of  good  ratting  proclivi- 
ties is  a  desirable  accompaniment  of  a  chicken-yard.  A 
dog  is  much  better  than  a  cat,  as  the  dog  can  easily  be 
taught  to  devote  himself  to  rats,  while  the  cat  would  in 
all  probability  content  herself  with  catching  chickens. 


IX. 

KEVIEW  AND   CONCLUSION. 

ARCHITECTURAL   CONSIDERATIONS  IN  LANDSCAPE. 

THEEE  can  be  little  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the 
importance  of  relation  between  the  arts  of  gardening  and 
rural  architecture ;  and  we  are  sure  that  a  careful  consid- 
eration of  all  we  have  said  under  various  heads  will  con- 
vince any  one  already  familiar  with  the  characteristics  of 
architectural  styles  that  none  of  the  grand  and  affected 
forms  of  classic  architecture  are  in  keeping  with  the  nat- 
ural simplicity  of  landscape  gardening,  and  that  the,  in 
one  sense,  more  primitive  forms  of  the  domestic  Gothic 
styles  of  all  countries  enhance  the  rural  idea  more  strong- 
ly than  any  others.  Such  an  old  pile,  for  instance,  as 
that  shown  in  Fig.  27  has  an  air  of  being  rooted  and  in- 
digenous that  can  never  be  imparted  to  the  Italian  villa. 
Even  the  Swiss  chalet,  except  among  rocky  hills  where  it 
is  evident  nothing  very  comfortable  could  grow,  does  not 
assume  the  peaceful,  hospitable  expression  of  the  old 
gable-ended  house.  We  can  not  do  better  than  try  to 
realize  in  any  new  structure  the  tone  imparted  to  good 


110 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


materials  by  long  exposure.     Any  attempt  to  bedeck  our 
houses  in  varied  color  must  result  in  unexpected  and  un- 

- 


Fm.  27. 

pleasant  contrast  with  the  tones  of  the  landscape.  The 
natural  colors  of  all  materials  are  good,  and  we  can  safely 
employ  them ;  but  a  painted  house  never  becomes  a  part 
of  our  landscape.  The  browns  and  reds  of  bricks  and 
tiles  are  always  harmonious,  if  only  because  the  color  is  a 
quality  in  them,  not  an  application  of  another  substance 
that  alters  their  texture. 

The  reasons  that  prompt  different  individuals  to  un- 
dertake schemes  of  landscape  improvement  are  as  differ- 
ent as  the  results  achieved.  And  it  must  be  admitted 
that,  in  small  undertakings  at  least,  the  achievements  of 


REVIEW  AND   CONCLUSION.  m 

those  who  enjoy  performing  some  of  the  labor  them- 
selves, as  well  as  paying  for  the  labor  of  experts,  have 
thus  far  surpassed  all  others,  because  it  is  not  enough 
that  a  man  desires  a  thing  and  is  willing  to  pay  for  it ;  he 
must  know  enough  to  recognize  it,  even  before  it  reaches 
completion  in  its  various  stages.  Hawthorne  says :  "  It 
has  been  an  apothegm  these  five  thousand  years,  that 
toil  sweetens  the  bread  it  earns.  For  my  part  (speaking 
from  hard  experience,  acquired  while  belaboring  the  rug- 
ged furrows  of  Brook  Farm),  I  relish  best  the  free  gifts 
of  Providence. 

"  Not  that  it  can  be  disputed  that  the  light  toil  requi- 
site to  cultivate  a  moderately  sized  garden  imparts  such 
zest  to  kitchen  vegetables  as  is  never  found  in  those 
of  the  market-gardener.  Childless  men,  if  they  would 
know  something  of  the  bliss  of  paternity,  should  plant  a 
seed — be  it  squash,  bean,  Indian  corn,  or  perhaps  a  mere 
flower  or  worthless  weed — should  plant  it  with  their  own 
hands,  and  nurse  it  from  infancy  to  maturity  altogether 
by  their  own  care.  If  there  be  not  too  many  of  them, 
each  individual  plant  becomes  an  object  of  separate  in- 
terest. My  garden,  that  skirted  the  avenue  of  the  manse, 
was  of  precisely  the  right  extent.  An  hour  or  two  of 
morning  labor  was  all  that  it  required.  But  I  used  to 
visit  and  revisit  it  a  dozen  times  a  day,  and  stand  in 
deep  contemplation  over  my  vegetable  progeny  with  a 
love  that  nobody  could  share  or  conceive  of  who  had 
never  taken  part  in  the  process  of  creation.  It  was  one 


112  HOME  GROUNDS. 

of  the  most  bewitching  sights  in  the  world  to  observe  a 
hill  of  beans  thrusting  aside  the  soil,  or  a  row  of  early 
peas  just  peeping  forth  sufficiently  to  trace  a  line  of  deli- 
cate green.  Later  in  the  season  the  humming-birds  were 
attracted  by  the  blossoms  of  a  peculiar  kind  of  bean ;  and 
they  were  a  joy  to  me,  those  little  spiritual  visitants,  for 
deigning  to  sip  airy  food  out  of  my  nectar  cups.  Multi- 
tudes of  bees  used  to  bury  themselves  in  the  yellow  blos- 
soms of  the  summer-squashes.  This,  too,  was  a  deep  sat- 
isfaction ;  although,  when  they  had  laden  themselves 
with  sweets,  they  flew  away  to  some  unknown  hive, 
which  would  give  back  nothing  in  requital  of  what  my 
garden  had  contributed.  But  I  was  glad  thus  to  fling  a 
benefaction  upon  the  passing  breeze,  with  the  certainty 
that  somebody  must  profit  by  it,  and  that  there  would  be 
a  little  more  honey  in  the  world  to  allay  the  sourness  and 
bitterness  which  mankind  is  always  complaining  of. 
Yes,  indeed ;  my  life  was  the  sweeter  for  that  honey." 

We  do  not  believe  that  it  is  necessary  to  apologize 
for  making  so  long  a  quotation,  because  our  readers  may 
be  thankful  that  we  did  not  attempt  to  say  for  ourselves 
what  Mr.  Hawthorne  has  told  us  so  charmingly.  Nor 
shall  we  hesitate  to  cull  another  page  of  his  presently 
that  suits  our  purpose,  and  which  we  hope  may  save  our 
readers  many  a  weary  line  that  we  should  otherwise 
have  inflicted. 

In  the  foregoing  we  have  often  maintained  the  possi- 
bility of  so  designing  and  planting  a  garden  that  it  shall 


REVIEW  AND    CONCLUSION.  113 

wear  its  spring,  its  summer,  its  autumn,  and  its  winter 
apparel  effectively  ;  and  we  would  only  add  to  these  re- 
marks some  considerations  as  to  external  influences  upon 
these  effects.  If  our  planting  in  one  direction  is  of  such 
a  character  as  to  be  luxuriant  and  dense  in  summer,  while 
in  winter  it  becomes  sparse  and  feeble  without  present- 
ing any  interesting  and  picturesque  forms  of  interlacing 
boughs,  there  should  exist  in  this  direction  some  external 
object  or  objects  that  may  take  its  place  and  atone  for 
the  loss  of  effect  by  a  new  interest  and  enlarged  perspec- 
tive. Such  a  scene  as  Fig.  28  is  a  charming  substitute 
for  the  most  cheerful  effects  we  may  have  created  on  our 
lawns,  and,  though  in  this  picture  the  conditions  are  such 
as  are  not  often  realized  except  in  mountainous  coun- 
try, it  will  serve  to  give  a  broad  idea  of  what  we  mean 
by  external  conditions. 

Of  course,  every  man  must  to  a  greater  or  less  degree 
put  up  with  what  falls  to  his  share,  whether  of  worldly 
goods  or  Nature's  provisions,  and  we  can  not  always  find 
such  trees  as  the  old  oak,  Fig.  29,  either  on  our  own 
land  or,  what  is  the  next  best,  on  our  neighbors.'  Such 
an  old  settler  is  sure  to  look  well  at  all  seasons.  When 
he  is  not  "  thick-leaved  ambrosial,"  his  sturdy  forms  will 
make  the  distance  appear  softer  and  the  foreground 
more  solid. 

The  dwellers  in  cities  know  little  of  some  of  the  most 
beautiful  aspects  of  nature,  because  those  who  are  able  to 
visit  the  country  only  do  so  during  the  summer  months, 


114 


HOME  GROUNDS. 


REVIEW  AND 'CONCLUSION. 


115 


their  only  glimpse  of  the  spring  transitions  and  the  late 
autumn  changes  being  such  as  the  limited  resources  of 


FIG.  29. 

the  parks  afford.  One  must  live  in  the  country  to  enjoy 
such  variations  as  each  season  presents.  What  more 
beautiful  than  Hawthorne's  description  of  spring : 

"  Some  tracts  in  a  happy  exposure — as,  for  instance, 
yonder  southwestern  slope  of  an  orchard,  in  front  of 
that  old  red  farmhouse — such  patches  of  land  already 
wear  a  beautiful  and  tender  green,  to  which  no  future 
luxuriance  can  add  a  charm.  It  looks  unreal — a  prophe- 
cy, a  hope,  a  transitory  effect  of  some  peculiar  light 
which  will  vanish  with  the  slightest  motion  of  the  eye. 


HQ  HOME  GROUNDS. 

But  beauty  is  never  a  delusion  ;  not  these  verdant  tracts, 
but  the  dark  and  barren  landscape  all  around  them,  is  a 
shadow  and  a  dream.  Each  moment  wins  some  portion 
of  the  earth  from  death  to  life ;  a  sudden  gleam  of  verd- 
ure brightens  along  the  sunny  slope  of  a  bank  which  an 
instant  ago  was  brown  and  bare.  You  look  again,  and 
behold  an  apparition  of  green  grass  !  "  Add  to  this  pic- 
ture our  foreground  of  early  flowering  shrubs,  their  deli- 
cate, leafless  twigs  laden  with  many-hued  blossoms, "  fling- 
ing their  benefactions  on  the  passing  breeze,"  and  we 
feel  that  we  shall  gain  little  by  the  fulfillment  of  its 
promise  in  summer's  less  transitory  realities. 

In  our  former  chapter  on  planting  we  omitted  saying 
anything  of  the  practical  question  of  transplanting ;  and, 
though  we  have  disclaimed  any  intention  of  making  this 
little  volume  more  than  an  introduction  to  the  study  of 
landscape  gardening,  we  may,  without  becoming  deeply 
involved  in  scientific  ramifications  of  the  subject,  give 
some  advice  that  shall  be  useful  to  amateurs,  and  save 
them  the  necessity  of  reading  and  remembering  much 
that  would  seem  to  them  technical  and  dull. 

The  first  question  involved  in  successful  transplanta- 
tion is  that  of  selection.  The  habits  and  appearance  of 
trees  growing  in  forests,  surrounded  by  other  trees,  are 
widely  different  from  those  of  trees  growing  in  open 
ground.  A  tree,  as  completely  as  an  animal,  accommo- 
dates itself  to  its  circumstances.  The  forest  tree,  being 
sheltered  from  strong  and  cold  winds,  and  stayed  by 


REVIEW  AND   CONCLUSION.  H7 

other  trees  on  all  sides,  is  not  deeply  or  widely  rooted, 
has  thin,  delicate  bark,  and  shoots  up  a  slender  stem  with 
few  and  short  branches  to  the  light  and  air  above  ;  so 
that,  when  transplanted  to  an  open  lawn,  it  is  required 
to  change  its  entire  mode  of  life,  and  to  undergo  severe 
hardships  in  battling  with  the  weather  ;  the  result  is  that 
it  generally  dies,  even  when  the  operation  of  transplant- 
ing has  been  carefully  and  intelligently  performed.  Trees 
.  growing  in  open  ground  can  almost  always  be  success- 
fully transplanted,  if  the  necessary  precautions  are  ob- 
served, and  the  tree  is  not  too  old.  The  precautions 
consist  in  performing  the  operation  at  the  proper  season, 
in  properly  undermining  the  tree  without  injuring  any 
of  the  roots,  especially  the  more  delicate  ones,  and  in 
properly  preparing  the  ground  pit  to  receive  the  ball, 
also  in  the  manner  of  filling  in  the  soil  and  of  watering. 
It  is  a  common  mistake  to  cut  off  the  tops  of  transplanted 
trees,  with  the  idea  of  economizing  the  action  of  the  sap ; 
but  this  is  as  fallacious  as  it  would  be  to  remove  one  of 
an  individual's  lungs  with  the  intention  of  economizing 
his  circulation.  The  leaves  of  trees  perform  the  neces- 
sary functions  of  respiration  and  perspiration,  and  those 
on  the  topmost  boughs  are  more  sensitive  than  others. 

The  best  season  for  transplanting  may  vary  in  dura- 
tion in  different  years,  but  begins  when  the  sap  has 
ceased  to  rise,  and  ends  just  before  the  rise  has  begun. 

The  selection  being  made,  a  sufficiently  large  circle 
should  be  described  round  the  tree  to  include  all  the 


118  HOME  GROUNDS. 

roots,  and  these  should  be  carefully  dug  out  with  as  little 
injury  as  possible,  only  removing  as  much  earth  from 
the  roots  as  is  necessary  to  remove  the  tree. 

The  pit  should  be  prepared  to  receive  the  tree  at 
least  a  month  beforehand,  should  be  dug  larger  and 
much  deeper  than  is  necessary  to  receive  the  ball,  and 
should  be  filled  in  with  good  soil  thoroughly  mixed  with 
rich  manure.  When  the  tree  is  transplanted,  the  pit 
should  be  again  dug  out,  but  now  only  to  the  necessary 
depth  to  receive  the  ball ;  the  soil  should  then  be  care- 
fully filled  in,  and  packed  so  that  it  shall  .come  in  close 
contact  with  all  the  roots.  If,  when  the  spring  opens, 
the  tree  dees  not  seem  to  thrive,  the  top  soil  may  be  re- 
moved, a  plenty  of  water  poured  in,  and  the  top  soil 
replaced.  If  these  precautions  are  all  taken,  the  trans- 
planting of  trees  even  thirty  years  old  may  be  success- 
fully performed. 

These  processes  are  advocated  by  the  most  eminent 
professors,  to  whose  works  we  would  refer  our  readers 
for  further  particulars  in  this  as  in  all  matters  we  have 
touched  upon. 

Downing's,  F.  L.  Olmsted's,  and  Scott's  works  will 
be  found  to  cover  all  probable  contingencies,  and  in  these 
works  will  be  found  exhaustive  lists  of  trees,  evergreens, 
shrubs,  and  vines,  with  special  directions  for  their  selec- 
tion and  cultivation.  Any  such  copious  information  is 
beyond  the  compass  of  the  present  volume,  for  which  we 
would  only  claim  some  originality  in  the  suggestions  for 


REVIEW  AND   CONCLUSION.  119 

artistic  and  practical  general  treatment.  The  author  was 
fortunate  in  being  an  assistant  of  Mr.  Fred.  Law  Olmsted 
for  three  years,  and  has  tested  in  practice  the  various 
methods  and  effects  that  have  been  the  subject  of  these 
pages,  in  which  he  has  tried  to  give  a  popular  explanation 
of  a  professional  pursuit,  in  the  hope  that  the  efforts  of 
amateurs  may  be  facilitated,  and  that  those  who  desire 
to  employ  experts  may  not  be  imposed  upon  by  unquali- 
fied persons. 


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66 


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